Uploaded December 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The 12 Mile Limit is a prohibition-era cocktail made with White Rum, Rye Whiskey, Brandy, Grenadine, Lemon Juice and lemon peel for garnish. Definitely one of my go-to drinks to celebrate Repeal Day. It was based on an earlier cocktail, the Three Mile Limit, but it was fortified and flipped on its head.
The earlier cocktail, the 3 Mile Limit, was invented by "Chips" Brighton at Harry's New York Bar in Paris and printed in 1927 in Harry McElhone's book, Barflies and Cocktails. The 3 Mile drink was Brandy, Rum, Grenadine and Lemon Juice. The name of the drink was a reference to the maritime border of the US during Prohibition. Past three nautical miles, the IRS or Treasury (depending on the year) agents couldn’t stop any Americans from drinking because they were in international waters and outside the jurisdiction of the dry US. The drink, like the Scofflaw (youtu.be/VJKOkos2nmU), was named as a act of civil disobedience and mockery to throw the dry rhetoric back in the faces of the Temperance movement and flock of hypocrites who preached dry publicly but practiced wet privately.
But when U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Mabel Walker Willebrandt, threatened to extend the coastal reach of the US, to 12 nautical miles and to demand that all international ships obey these dry laws within those boundaries, journalist, statesman and all-around candidate for Most Interesting Man in the World, Thomas Franklin Fairfax Millard, proposed a revision to the 3 Mile drink to match her escalation. Millard added Rye into the mix, lowered the brandy and raised the amount of rum. He changed the whole character of the original drink. His changes put the emphasis on the rum, which made the drink become more like a complex rum sour.
As with other Grenadine drinks, you’re going to want to take the extra step of making your own Grenadine (youtu.be/4e2xNt385H4). There are some small-batch, well-made Grenadines out there, but making it at home is pretty easy and totally worth it.
Most white, Daiquiri-appropriate rums will work well in the this drink. Flor de Caña 4-Year, Plantation 3-Star or Caña Brava will make a great base for this one. You want something flavorful, but not overpowering. You want to taste the rum, but that’s not all you want to taste.
The drink has a lot flavors that make their way through your tastebuds. Just as the Remember the Maine (youtu.be/Anf6ZrtPTHo) was an embellished Manhattan (youtu.be/pu3lWPjaLJI) this drink, with its Rum, citrus and Grenadine, seems like a Bacardi Cocktail (youtu.be/EoDU_wrQQWk) with some other bells and whistles. The result is different, but it’s in the same neighborhood, just 12 miles away. Cheers!
Recipe:
1 oz White Rum
0.5 oz Rye Whiskey
0.5 oz Brandy
0.5 oz Grenadine
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
garnish Lemon twist
Shake with ice. Strain into chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Music:
Stompin Jazz Night 2 by Magnus Ringblom
via Epidemic Sound
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in This Drink:
Caña Brava Rum
canabravarum.com
Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey
dadshatrye.com/product-category/rye-whiskey
Hennessy VS Cognac
hennessy.com/us/collection/vs
Bar Tools:
Coupe Glass
amzn.to/2df8wvN
OXO SteeL Double Jigger
amzn.to/1Mlqj8z
Vegetable Peeler
amzn.to/1AA2s69
OXO Cocktail Shaker
amzn.to/2gQuqVL
Blender Bottle
amzn.to/2gxckaY
Citrus Juicer (Lemon)
amzn.to/2fVcqW1
Cutting Board
amzn.to/2h488jZ
Small Knife
amzn.to/2gQsAV9
The 12 Mile Limit is a prohibition-era cocktail made with White Rum, Rye Whiskey, Brandy, Grenadine, Lemon Juice and lemon peel for garnish. Definitely one of my go-to drinks to celebrate Repeal Day. It was based on an earlier cocktail, the Three Mile Limit, but it was fortified and flipped on its head.
The earlier cocktail, the 3 Mile Limit, was invented by "Chips" Brighton at Harry's New York Bar in Paris and printed in 1927 in Harry McElhone's book, Barflies and Cocktails. The 3 Mile drink was Brandy, Rum, Grenadine and Lemon Juice. The name of the drink was a reference to the maritime border of the US during Prohibition. Past three nautical miles, the IRS or Treasury (depending on the year) agents couldn’t stop any Americans from drinking because they were in international waters and outside the jurisdiction of the dry US. The drink, like the Scofflaw (youtu.be/VJKOkos2nmU), was named as a act of civil disobedience and mockery to throw the dry rhetoric back in the faces of the Temperance movement and flock of hypocrites who preached dry publicly but practiced wet privately.
But when U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Mabel Walker Willebrandt, threatened to extend the coastal reach of the US, to 12 nautical miles and to demand that all international ships obey these dry laws within those boundaries, journalist, statesman and all-around candidate for Most Interesting Man in the World, Thomas Franklin Fairfax Millard, proposed a revision to the 3 Mile drink to match her escalation. Millard added Rye into the mix, lowered the brandy and raised the amount of rum. He changed the whole character of the original drink. His changes put the emphasis on the rum, which made the drink become more like a complex rum sour.
As with other Grenadine drinks, you’re going to want to take the extra step of making your own Grenadine (youtu.be/4e2xNt385H4). There are some small-batch, well-made Grenadines out there, but making it at home is pretty easy and totally worth it.
Most white, Daiquiri-appropriate rums will work well in the this drink. Flor de Caña 4-Year, Plantation 3-Star or Caña Brava will make a great base for this one. You want something flavorful, but not overpowering. You want to taste the rum, but that’s not all you want to taste.
The drink has a lot flavors that make their way through your tastebuds. Just as the Remember the Maine (youtu.be/Anf6ZrtPTHo) was an embellished Manhattan (youtu.be/pu3lWPjaLJI) this drink, with its Rum, citrus and Grenadine, seems like a Bacardi Cocktail (youtu.be/EoDU_wrQQWk) with some other bells and whistles. The result is different, but it’s in the same neighborhood, just 12 miles away. Cheers!
Recipe:
1 oz White Rum
0.5 oz Rye Whiskey
0.5 oz Brandy
0.5 oz Grenadine
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
garnish Lemon twist
Shake with ice. Strain into chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Music:
Stompin Jazz Night 2 by Magnus Ringblom
via Epidemic Sound
Follow Us!
facebook.com/DistinguishedSpirits
instagram.com/distinguishedspirits
twitter.com/DistinguishedSp
pinterest.com/DistinguishedSp
Featured in This Drink:
Caña Brava Rum
canabravarum.com
Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey
dadshatrye.com/product-category/rye-whiskey
Hennessy VS Cognac
hennessy.com/us/collection/vs
Bar Tools:
Coupe Glass
amzn.to/2df8wvN
OXO SteeL Double Jigger
amzn.to/1Mlqj8z
Vegetable Peeler
amzn.to/1AA2s69
OXO Cocktail Shaker
amzn.to/2gQuqVL
Blender Bottle
amzn.to/2gxckaY
Citrus Juicer (Lemon)
amzn.to/2fVcqW1
Cutting Board
amzn.to/2h488jZ
Small Knife
amzn.to/2gQsAV9
