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Scofflaw
Just on the dry/tart side, crisp and superbly refreshing without being overly citrusy. I've used bonded-strength rye whisky, so you'll need to up the...
Tuber Magnatum
19th April at 23:13
Tried this tonight after having put it on wish list last year when it was "Cocktail of the Day". I debated using Difford's recipe or as suggested by others, Death & Co's. Settling on Difford's version, I agree with his comment below that this results in a spirit and vermouth-led cocktail rather than a citrusy sour cocktail likely to result were one to use the Death & Co recipe. While generally I'm not a huge rye fan, this is a delicious and well balanced drink. I should add as per his suggestion, I upped both the rye from 1.5 oz to 1.75 oz as I used 86 proof rye, and .25 oz of Jeffrey Morgenthaler's grenadine recipe.
9th February at 15:28
Fantastic drink, although I prefer the balance of the Death & Co. version:
1 1/2 oz rye
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz blanc vermouth
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine
1x dash orange bitters
lemon twist, discarded
I used homemade grenadine (Morganthaller recipe with a little rose water added), Rittenhouse, Dolin dry, Carpano bianco, Reagans' orange bitters
I'll have to try the lime version next.
1 1/2 oz rye
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz blanc vermouth
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine
1x dash orange bitters
lemon twist, discarded
I used homemade grenadine (Morganthaller recipe with a little rose water added), Rittenhouse, Dolin dry, Carpano bianco, Reagans' orange bitters
I'll have to try the lime version next.
9th February at 16:30
That sounds like a really well-balanced build. Splitting the vermouth between dry and blanc makes a lot of sense—it softens the edges without losing that crisp backbone from the rye. And homemade grenadine with a touch of rose water is hard to beat; it adds depth you just don’t get from bottled versions.
I’ve found the lemon version feels a bit rounder and more classic, while lime gives it a brighter snap, especially if you’re in the mood for something a little sharper. Either way, that combo of rye and vermouth keeps it elegant.
Now I’m tempted to revisit this with Carpano Bianco myself—thanks for the inspiration!
For reference, here’s the Death & Co Scofflaw recipe: https://www.cocktailarium.com/drinks/death-and-cos-scofflaw
I’ve found the lemon version feels a bit rounder and more classic, while lime gives it a brighter snap, especially if you’re in the mood for something a little sharper. Either way, that combo of rye and vermouth keeps it elegant.
Now I’m tempted to revisit this with Carpano Bianco myself—thanks for the inspiration!
For reference, here’s the Death & Co Scofflaw recipe: https://www.cocktailarium.com/drinks/death-and-cos-scofflaw
20th January at 04:35
It is late at night but I got it into my head I HAD to have a Scofflaw.
At the last second, I realized all the lemons were used up earlier this afternoon for the teetotalers— they needed a pitcher of Arnold’s.
So, dammit, it’s too dark to wander down the street to pick a lemon from a neighbor’s tree.
But I have a lime tree and it’s fruiting, so I grabbed a Bearss lime off the branch, and I’m here to tell you this Lime Scofflaw is FANTASTIC. I did it!
At the last second, I realized all the lemons were used up earlier this afternoon for the teetotalers— they needed a pitcher of Arnold’s.
So, dammit, it’s too dark to wander down the street to pick a lemon from a neighbor’s tree.
But I have a lime tree and it’s fruiting, so I grabbed a Bearss lime off the branch, and I’m here to tell you this Lime Scofflaw is FANTASTIC. I did it!
24th August 2025 at 18:54
I am closer in line with the previous comment in my making. I do make my own version pomegranate syrup that I use as the grenadine (close to an Anders recipe).
I find a bit more citrus and sweetness works for me, and I use Cocchi Americano at least in part for the dry vermouth component and Fee's orange bitters. But I have made it closer to this and liquor.com specs, and it still works very well. Have not tried the saline addition from this recipe, though.
I find a bit more citrus and sweetness works for me, and I use Cocchi Americano at least in part for the dry vermouth component and Fee's orange bitters. But I have made it closer to this and liquor.com specs, and it still works very well. Have not tried the saline addition from this recipe, though.
20th May 2025 at 03:23
After trying a few versions, we've decided this works best for us: 1 1/2 Rye, 1 Vermouth Blanc, 3/4 Lemon Juice, 1/2 Grenadine, 1 dash Orange Bitters. We find it perfectly balanced. Cheers!
16th January at 08:56
Slightly similar to the Death & Co. version, where the split is between white and dry vermouth, alongside a little less lemon. It is very well balanced in that version.
14th March 2025 at 02:41
Revisiting. Stuck with 1/4 oz pomegranate liqueur instead of grenadine and sugar syrup but addressed the tartness from 1/3 oz lemon juice by using a mix of half dry vermouth and half bianco. This worked quite well and is my personal version of the drink going forward. Kudos to the unknown bartender at Maxim's who created this. Incidently, a real Prohibition-era scofflaw (played by James Cagney on the silver screen) would have drunk this out of an old-fashioned glass, not a coupe!
21st March 2025 at 14:58
Duly noted the correct, more macho glassware! I love a dry-leaning drink so this really fit the Bill.
14th March 2025 at 00:39
This time omitted the sugar syrup. We use a homemade grenadine which is also not as sweet. Made the cocktail a little dry, but very, very smooth.
29th June 2024 at 11:24
Amazing rye cocktail. I'll omit the sugar syrup the next time though.
13th March 2024 at 03:12
Used Rough Rider "The Big Stick" cask strength rye (121 proof) and replaced the grenadine + sugar syrup by 1/4 oz Drillaud Pomegranate Liqueur, which I like in place of grenadine. Added 1 dash Peychaud's but no saline (hey, we weren't putting it in our EYES). A bit tart; might increase the pomegranate liqueur to 1/3 or 1/2 oz. This belongs in the "Big Easy" section of the drink book.
27th September 2023 at 20:12
Used around 15 ml lemon juice and 10 ml grenadine.
Superb drink, I felt classy just by sipping on it :)
Superb drink, I felt classy just by sipping on it :)
24th January 2023 at 20:17
The Scofflaw has been one of my favorite drinks since I first tried one 10 years ago. This is actually a very good recipe here; I opted for 10 ml grenadine instead of a sugar split. My recipe also uses bonded rye, but I employ an 8:4:3:2 ratio. Much respect to this version though... Maybe my memory is hazy, but the bar in which I worked where I first tried this used a footed rocks glass (which I still use at home for it), but I swear it also had egg white in it. Love it like that too.
19th July 2022 at 22:49
Left out the syrup, bumped the rye, used Roses Grenadine. It’s quite refreshing and more savory than I expected, perhaps because of the pinch of salt and barreled bitters.
17th July 2022 at 13:32
Rye was replaced by boubon, Creol-style bitters - by Angostura. And no sugar. Well, it's very nice!
20th January 2022 at 01:22
Liked this very much. Did take Jill's tip and used all grenadine instead of the sugar syrup. Since this drink is about the pomegranate flavour, we used some pomegranate seeds as the garnish.
28th September 2021 at 22:32
We really enjoyed this! We did tweak it a bit. We did 2 oz. bourbon to 1 oz. dry vermouth, and 1 tsp. of grenadine w/ no simple. Everything else the same. Really nice! Will definitely make again.
5th April 2021 at 18:12
Had to try this because of the name alone! Next time I will double (or triple) the sugar in my pomegranate juice to make this a tad less tart. Nice either way.
19th January 2021 at 17:03
Great name, Scofflaw. Looked it up at dictionary.com: “US informal: a person who habitually flouts or violates the law, esp one who fails to pay debts or answer summonses. First recorded in 1920–25.” No doubt as a result of the competition referred above. Nice!
26th November 2020 at 19:13
Try to substitute grenadine with a premix made of pomegranates juice and granulate sugar (1:1).
Unbelievable step ahead.
Unbelievable step ahead.
3rd August 2020 at 01:24
Produces a lovely colour and is very attractive in the glass. A pleasant enough mix of flavours and nicely balanced, but perhaps a bit old-fashioned for many of today's drinkers—or maybe I just need better grenadine.
20th January 2021 at 20:17
Agreed. This cocktail is all about the grenadine/ pomegranate syrup. I've added a note to the recipe above to this effect.