Twelve Miles Out Cocktail

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (17 ratings)

Serve in a

Nick & Nora glass

Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Nick & Nora glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:


Review:

Stir or shake (as originally stipulated in The Savoy Cocktail Book) this cocktail is still boozy. However, it's also wonderfully aromatic with all three ingredients combining harmoniously.

History:

The Twelve Miles Out is one of several Prohibition-era cocktails whose name references the distance from a shore that a nation's territorial waters. During the 18th century this was established as three nautical miles (5.6 km), the distance a cannonball could be shot from the shore to repel incursions. Hence, during Prohibition, US jurisdiction was limited to three miles offshore so allowing the legal supply of alcohol to parties on board boats just outside territorial waters.

As the number of offshore parties grew, the US negotiated agreements with countries such as the UK and France to recognize the right of the American authorities to enforce Prohibition and anti-smuggling laws to an extended 12-mile limit. Predictably, the parties moved further off-shore. On 29th December 1988, President Reagan extended the territorial waters of the United States to 12 miles from 3 miles.

The notoriety of the three-mile and then 12-mile limit to the reach of the Feds during Prohibition led to the Three Miller/Three Mile Limit, the Twelve Miles Out, and the Twelve Mile Limit cocktails.

Recipe adapted from Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book where this cocktail is shaken rather than stirred.

TWELVE MILES OUT COCKTAIL
1/3 Bacardi Rum.
1/3 Swedish Punch.
1/3 Calvados.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.
Shake.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Nutrition:

One serving of Twelve Miles Out Cocktail contains 156 calories.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 27.82% alc./vol. (55.64° proof)
  • 18.8 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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