Scofflaw

Ever since I started making cocktails, I have had a running list of drinks I wanted to try but had to hold off on because I didn't have any grenadine. Now, grenadine is a common ingredient, and you're probably thinking that you've seen grenadine in every liquor store, so what's the problem? Well, the bottles you see most often, usually Rose's, are really just corn syrup with red dye. Grenadine should be made out of pomegranates -- the name is actually derived from the French word for pomegranate. I have seen recipes for making my own grenadine from pomegranate juice, but not only have I not gotten around to doing that, I'm slightly reluctant, because homemade syrup has a limited shelf life, even in the refrigerator. I'll make homemade simple syrup, because if I have to throw some out, it's no big deal, but I have been more hesitant about anything that involves more pricey ingredients, and a bottle of pomegranate juice is going to make a batch of grenadine so large I would never finish it.

I have searched around and read reviews online, to see if there are any commercially-available grenadines that are made from pomegranate and have an authentic and, more importantly, tasty flavor. I read good things about Sonoma syrups, and the last time I'd been at our local liquor store (the big one) they'd started carrying some of the flavors, but no grenadine. Today, we went to the store for some gin, and I checked to see if they'd gotten the grenadine -- and they had. I felt like I finally had the key to that great big room full of cocktails that I'd put off until I acquired some grenadine!

One that I'd marked in my copy of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is the Scofflaw. I wanted to start here, because this cocktail has a pretty hefty dose of grenadine, and not just a dash or two. The recipe in the book calls for rye, and I do like rye -- but I don't have any at the moment, and since I was so excited to finally be holding a bottle of grenadine, I decided I didn't want to wait until someday when I get around to getting another bottle of rye. I figured it was okay to substitute bourbon, as we usually do when we're making Manhattans and we're out of rye. It was delicious!

1.5 oz rye (or bourbon)
1 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz real pomegranate grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass (I double-strained through a fine mesh tea strainer, to catch any solids from the lemon juice, but it's not mandatory). Garnish with a lemon twist.

A note about dry vermouth: I was never a fan of dry vermouth until I tried Dolin. It has a lot more complex flavor than the usual dry vermouths. It will change the way you think about martinis! But that's another post...