It’s a Saturday night and It-girls with bobbed ‘dos strut towards the dance floor, proudly showing off gowns dripping with pearls. The music is hot, the gents sporting fedoras are hotter, but sadly, there are no bottles to pop. The Roaring ‘20s wasn’t all that jazz, thanks to
Prohibition (1920-1933), a tragic American period when saloons were banned and alcohol was illegal. Thirsty patrons
attended speakeasies, secret spots where spiked drinks could be savored. Fortunately for us, this time is long over, but HBO’s hit TV series, “Boardwalk Empire,” has recently sparked a revival on this decadent time, especially in nightlife. Many
classic cocktails were first created during the ‘20s and they’re now getting revamped by some of today’s
premier mixologists. Whether you’re heading to your favorite juice joint tonight or prefer to booze up at your private bar, whip up some of our favorite Prohibition-inspired cocktails. Be warned, a few of these will get you a wee bit tanked.
Lucky’s Manhattan
For all of you “Boardwalk Empire” fans out there, this one is for you. Basil Hayden recently teamed up with HBO for their annual luxury lounge event and the star of the night was a cocktail inspired by mobster Lucky Luciano. This drink combines
warm and spicy bourbon with luscious maple syrup, a surefire way to entice both the guys and gals.
Ingredients
1 ½ parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
½ part Sweet vermouth
½ part Dry vermouth
½ part Maple syrup
2 Dashes of bitters
1 Cherry
Preparation
Still together the bourbon, vermouths, maple syrup, and bitters over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a cherry and serve.
Hello, Holly Rollers!
When crime boss Al Capone wasn’t busy fueling speakeasies with booze, what did he do during his spare time? Kick back with a glass of whiskey, of course. Capone’s preferred liquor, Templeton Rye, continues to be savored today by gents and was the highlight of a “Boardwalk Empire” themed yacht party in Chicago. If you weren’t one of the select few to get a sneak peak of season two at this swanky soiree, don’t fret. The Hello, Holly Rollers!, created by Joshua Pearson from Sepia in Chicago, is still the perfect cocktail for party time. It’s how anyone should roll.
Ingredients
2 oz. Templeton Rye
¾ oz. Barolo Chinato
¾ oz. Dry White Port
½ oz. Lemon juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Preparation
Shake ingredients in cocktail shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Rose Gimlet
Since this popular concoction first made its grand debut in 1928, bartenders across the country have been debating how it should properly made, but if Prohibition taught us anything, it’s that rules were meant to be broken. The classic Gimlet has been revamped several times over the years and today, it’s a preferred thirst-quencher among ladies seeking smooth gin to awaken their taste buds. The Rose Gimlet is a floral number that features tangy lime juice, along with rosehip-infused gin, packing a stronger punch than anything your grandparents bragged about sipping.
Ingredients
1.2 oz. Rosehip-infused gin
½ oz. Simple syrup
½ oz. Lime juice
3 Drops of rose water
Edible rose petals
Preparation
Shake infused gin, simple syrup, lime juice, and rose water with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with edible rose petals.
Knob Creek’s Old-Fashioned
With alcohol being illegal during Prohibition, bartenders had limited resources to craft perfect cocktails for thirsty patrons, which is why the Old Fashioned has always been a must-have. It’s one of the very few drink recipes that can improve the taste of nearly any liquor one could get their hands on. As its name implies, Knob Creek’s Old Fashion highlights the nation’s first bourbon. Its distiller Booker Noe, grandson of Jim Beam, created his powerfully flavored bourbon in small batches and it’s bottled at a bold 100 proof. In short, a sip of this simple libation would bring even
Atlantic City crime boss Nucky Thompson to his knees.
Ingredients
2 parts Knob Creek Bourbon
¼-½ part Rich simple syrup
Dash of Fee Brother’s Aromatic Bitters
1 Lemon Peel
Preparation
Stir and strain bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
Negroni
During Prohibition, Americans were flocking to Italy not just to enjoy a fabulous European getaway, but to indulge in cocktails guilt-free. During this time, thirsty Italian count Camillo Negroni asked his barkeep at Café Casoni in Florence for a stronger version of his signature drink, the Americano. Since this era’s reigning spirit was gin, his cocktail was “accidently” prepared with plenty of it. The result was the Negroni and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, this bitter aperitif, also known as “a gentleman’s drink,” can still be savored at Manhattan’s gastropub
Park Avenue Tavern where the mixologists take pride in serving guests this old school favorite. Best of all, this tantalizing concoction is perfectly legal.
Ingredients
1 ½ oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin
¾ oz. Campari
¾ oz. Italian sweet vermouth
1 Orange peel
Preparation
Add ingredients in a shaker filled with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.
Bee’s Knees
Aside for having limited liquor supply, bartenders during Prohibition were forced to not only make alcohol taste good enough to drink, but they had to somehow mask the spirits they were using. Fortunately, there’s one cocktail that’s just so sinfully sweet that it can easily make anyone get up and do the Charleston. The Bee’s Knees, named after a popular flapper phrase, is like indulging in pure honey, except it happens to be spiked with gin. Be the cat’s pajamas at any retro bash with one of the coolest cocktails around, courtesy of mixologist Ryan Maerz from New York City-based event planning company, Canard.
Ingredients
2 oz. Gin
¾ oz. Honey syrup (1 part honey to 1 part warm water, stirred until honey is dissolved)
½ oz. Lemon juice
Honeycomb
Preparation
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve straight up. Garnish with a very small triangle of honeycomb.
Sazerac
Arguably one for the first cocktails invented, the classic Sazerac was created in New Orleans as a vehicle for pharmacist Antoine Peychaud’s bitters. After all, nothing soothes the common cold quite like a glass of good ol’ alcohol. While today’s drugstores aren’t cool enough to serve these in batches anymore, you can still order the Sazerac at
ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Like the original, this take is served short and without ice, all while still wooing drinkers with its powerful, potent flavor, courtesy of Marilyn Manson’s very own absinthe.
Ingredients
2 oz. Sazerac Rye
½ oz. Simple Syrup
2 Dashes of Peychauds Bitters
Mansinthe Absinthe
1 Large lemon twist
Preparation
Add rye, simple syrup, and bitters in a tumbler with ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass that has been primed with Mansinthe Absinthe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
