Illegal
Smoke, lime and spice.
A modern sour where mezcal meets Jamaican overproof rum, spiced falernum and a touch of maraschino. Lime keeps everything taut, while a few optional drops of egg white soften each sip.
- IBA · New Era
- Aperitif
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Mezcal
30 ml
-
Jamaican overproof white rum
15 ml
-
Falernum
15 ml
-
Maraschino liqueur
1 barspoon
-
Lime juice
22.5 ml
-
Simple syrup
15 ml
-
Egg white (optional)
to taste
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Pour the mezcal into the shaker.
- Add the Jamaican overproof rum.
- Add the falernum.
- Add a barspoon of maraschino.
- Add the lime juice.
- Add the simple syrup.
- If you like, add a few drops of egg white.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Serve immediately.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The Illegal is a recent cocktail and its history is poorly documented: several specialist sources admit they know of no verified origin. According to an attribution reported by Wikipedia, which cites a MixologyItalia article, it was created in the late 1990s in the Veneto region by bartender Samuele Ambrosi at Castel Brando in Cison di Valmarino, as a tequila-based Daiquiri variant; later, at Dom'us in Oderzo, the tequila was reportedly replaced by mezcal. This account has not been confirmed by other independent sources. What is certain is its place on the official IBA list, in the New Era category, which according to the sources consulted dates to around 2020.
Sources (4)
Taste profile
- Strong
- 3 out of 5
- Sour
- 3 out of 5
- Smoky
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
- Spicy
- 2 out of 5
