The Spiced Prohibition-Era Bourbon Cocktail Undergoing A Modern Revival

The American craft cocktail scene has surged over the past decade. While bartenders from coast to coast have been inventing unique and experimental drinks, there's a roster of historic Prohibition-era cocktails making a resurgence. The Lion's Tail cocktail is one of them. A combination of bourbon, allspice dram, lime juice, simple syrup, and a dash of Angostura bitters, the Lion's Tail is a richly layered and versatile cocktail that's at home in a tiki bar as well as a snazzy lounge. The Lion's Tail is easily a forgotten old-school bourbon cocktail you rarely see anymore, but it's making a comeback on modern-day cocktail menus. 

The Lion's Tail first appeared in William James Tarling's 1937 book, "Café Royal Cocktail Book." Tarling was the president of the UK Bartenders Guild and bartender at the Café Royal in London with his brother Arthur. In the book, the recipe is credited to L.A. Clarke, who some speculate was an American bartender who relocated to the UK to could continue working during the Prohibition era of the 1930s.

The drink takes its name from a popular American expression used at the time, "twisting the lion's tail," which meant to rile the British (the British coat of arms has a lion on it). 

The Lion's Tail cocktail uses 1/2 ounce of allspice dram, a traditional Jamaican liqueur made by infusing rum with dried pimento, aka allspice berries, which gives it notes of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. It also includes a dash of Angostura bitters (which can be used in more than just cocktails), which is made in Trinidad. Both countries were under British rule when the cocktail was created. Allspice dram stopped being imported into the U.S. during the 1980s, which could have contributed to its waning popularity. Still, it's one of the must-have ingredients to make tiki drinks, and was reintroduced as the popularity of craft cocktails grew. 

The base of the Lion's Tail is 2 ounces of a quintessential American ingredient: Bourbon. Some bartenders use bourbons that are rye-forward to complement the allspice dram. Other ingredients are a teaspoon of Gomme syrup, a simple syrup made with gum arabic to mellow the flavor of high-proof liquors, and 1/2 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice. Shaken with ice, the Lion's Tail is served in a coupe or a Nick and Nora glass and garnished with a twist of citrus rind or citrus wedge. 

While this is the basic formula, bartenders are making their own riffs on the drink: Adding amaro or Cynar, Jamaican rum, or amontillado sherry for their variations. Any way you serve it, the Lion's Tail deserves a place on your craft cocktail rotation.