Spanning from 1920-1933, the age of Prohibition is ironically most closely associated with the bootleggers and speakeasies which rose in response to the nationwide ban on alcohol. One of the many unintended outcomes of Prohibition was the increase in popularity of cocktails.
Some of these cocktails can be found on almost any bar menu (Old Fashioned, Highball, Mojito, etc). However, there are many underrated options that deserve a revival. Here are three lesser-known Prohibition cocktails to jazz up your menu.
French 75
Why you should try it
It’s exact origins are unknown, but it is believed by some to be one of the few cocktails actually created during Prohibition. So if it’s a genuine speakeasy vibe you’re going for, the French 75 is a must-add.
Ingredients
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz gin
3 oz champagne
How to make it
Add the lemon juice, simple syrup, and gin into a shaker with ice and shake well
Strain into a champagne flute
Top with the champagne
Garnish with a lemon twist
Ward Eight
Why you should try it
Legend has it that the Ward Eight was created by a Boston bartender after a local politician won their seat with the help of heavy election rigging in Boston’s Ward Eight voting district.
Nothing says Prohibition like an underhanded politician! And, the use of grenadine in this cocktail is a classic Prohibition-era trick for masking liquor deficiencies.
Ingredients
2 oz bourbon
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
1 dash grenadine
How to make it
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake well
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or collins glass filled with ice
Garnish with a cherry and orange slice
Mary Pickford
Why you should try it
This Prohibition cocktail staple is named for a monumental silent movie star. Allegedly, Mary was vacationing in Havana with her husband and Charlie Chaplin, where a bartender created the concoction and named it in her honor.
Ingredients
2 oz light rum
2 oz pineapple juice
1 teaspoon grenadine
How to make it
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake well
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with a cherry