Twelve Mile Limit
4.2 90 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a coupe glass
Prepare
- 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
Method
- 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
- 4 STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish
- 5 Garnish with skewered cherry.
Flavour profile
50.0% alc./vol. · 1.4 standard drinks · 160 calories
History
Spirit-forward, sweet and sour; grenadine balances lemon, with three spirits.
Thomas Franklin Fairfax Millard (1868-1942), a war correspondent and journalist, is credited by Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh in his Vintage Sprits and Forgotten Cocktails as "the confirmed author of the Twelve Mile Limit Cocktail." The name of the Twelve Mile Limit cocktail refers to territorial waters, a concept that emerged during the Prohibition era. Historically, territorial waters were established at three nautical miles (5.6 km) in the 18th century, a distance sufficient for shore-based cannons to repel intruders. This three-mile limit meant that alcohol could be legally supplied to vessels situated just beyond US territorial waters during Prohibition. As offshore parties became more common, the US government negotiated agreements with nations like the UK and France. These agreements extended the recognized enforcement limit for Prohibition and anti-smuggling laws to 12 miles offshore. Consequently, the parties moved even further out to sea. On 29th December 1988, President Reagan expanded the territorial waters of the United States to 12 miles, up from the previous 3 miles. The extended reach of federal authorities during Prohibition, first the three-mile and then the 12-mile limit, inspired cocktails such as the Three Miller/Three Mile Limit, the Twelve Miles Out, and the Twelve Mile Limit. The latter is essentially a stronger version of the Three Miller, reflecting the extended offshore limit.
Created by Thomas Franklin Fairfax Millard