Tanqueray Gin Prohibition Era Cocktails
By Adam Rains
The Prohibition Era: Inspiring Fashion, Cocktails, and Entertainment
The Prohibition era seems to be making a comeback in modern-day culture as today’s fashion, cocktails, and hit TV shows and movies are inspired by a time of bootleggers, speakeasies, and gangsters.
From the wildly successful HBO drama Boardwalk Empire to the historically detailed Ken Burns documentary Prohibition, to celebrity-stacked movies such as Lawless and the anticipated release of The Great Gatsby, Hollywood is taking notice and capitalizing on this trend.
The newfound enthusiasm for Prohibition-era gin and whiskey cocktails has spread across the country as dedicated bartenders are bringing back once-forgotten cocktails from the pre-prohibition era. These drinks are being resurrected from historic cocktail books, and in some cases, using painstakingly recreated tinctures, liqueurs, and bitters.
Prohibition-Era Cocktail Recipes from Tanqueray
Here are some Prohibition-era cocktail recipes from one of the gins that was actually around in the 1920s – Tanqueray.
The Franklin
Ingredients
- 1.5oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
- 1tbsp dry vermouth
- 2tbsp olive juice
- 2 olives
Preparation
- Fill a mixer with all ingredients including the olives.
- Cover and shake hard 3 – 4 times.
- Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass.
- Garnish with an olive.
Description
The Franklin, a dirty martini, is the drink that brought it all back and the cocktail that FDR celebrated the repeal of Prohibition with.
Preparation
- Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker.
- Fill with ice and shake.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Description
Introduced in the late 20’s, The White Lady was born from a drink named “Delilah,” which included crème de menthe. The Savoy’s Harry Craddock replaced it with orange liqueur and it became an instant classic.
Gin Buck
Ingredients
- 1.5oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
- 4oz ginger ale
- .5 lemon juice
- 1/2 of the shell of a lemon
Preparation
- Squeeze lemon or lime juice into a collins glass and add the juiced shell of the lemon.
- Add ice and the Tanqueray.
- Top with ginger ale.
Description
A relatively forgotten drink from the 20’s, this classic gin cocktail offers a taste that’s refreshing and light.
Southside Fizz
Ingredients
- 1.5oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
- 3/4oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5oz simple syrup
- 8–10 mint leaves
- club soda
Preparation
- Place mint leaves in cocktail shaker and gently bruise with muddler.
- Add gin, lemon juice and sugar, and stir to dissolve.
- Fill shaker with large pieces of ice and shake gently for 10 seconds.
- Double-strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Top with chilled club soda.
Description
The Southside Fizz is the signature drink at the 21 Club, a historic and notorious speakeasy during Prohibition that still has the hidden secret passageway to the wine cellar under the adjoining building where all the illicit alcohol was hidden.