Travel to the halcyon days of yesteryear when you sip on a 20th Century Cocktail.
The 20th Century Cocktail might sound like a broad moniker. Perhaps this beverage is a representative of all alcoholic drinks crafted over an amount of time. Seems like a large responsibility, actually, to be THE cocktail that is supposed to be the model for everything shaken and served from 1900 to 1999.
If that was anyone’s assumption, they’d have been very wrong. The 20th Century Cocktail was invented in 1937 by an English bartender by the name of C.A. Tuck. The tipple was created to commemorate the 20th Century Limited Train, that operated between Chicago and New York City from 1902 until 1967. The drink’s recipe was immortalized in the Café Royale Cocktail Book the same year it was born, by author and President of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild, William J. Tarling.
We may be a good quarter into the 21st Century, but tonight’s concoction still tastes as contemporary as it did eighty-eight years ago.
What is the best gin to use in a 20th Century Cocktail?
When choosing which gin to use as the base spirit in your 20th Century Cocktail, there are a number of different ways you can go. For an older, more traditional tasting tipple, a sweeter Old Tom gin can be a viable and tasty option. For a fresher, crisp sip, a cucumber- and rose-infused Hendrick’s gin is excellent and delicious. For my money, however, you can’t go wrong with a classic bottle of London Dry, either a Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray No. 10 or a Beefeater 24. The herbaceous notes pair nicely with the Lillet and smooth, sweet chocolate flavors present in the white crème de cacao.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
- 1/2 ounce white crème de cacao
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice freshly squeezed
- Lemon peel for garnish
Instructions
- Add the gin, Lillet Blanc, white crème de cacao, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well and fine strain into a pre-chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
Nutrition
What glassware and garnish are used?
Serve your drink “up” in a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon peel before you start sipping. For an extra cold and crisp experience, chill your glassware in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes before prepping and pouring.
What is a good substitute for Lillet Blanc?
If you’re curious about what other fortified wines or vermouth-like beverages you can use in this recipe in place of the Lillet, you’re in luck. While nothing will ever be an exact replacement, things like the slightly bitter Cocchi Americano does a nice job, as well as a good white vermouth, like a Dolin. Kina L’Avion d’Or is closer in its flavor profile to the now-defunct Kina Lillet, which preceded Lillet Blanc before being discontinued.
Similar drinks to the 20th Century Cocktail
Are your cocktail coupes calling for you to take them out of the cupboard, rinse them off and then mix some drinks to serve in them? Even if they aren’t, it never hurts to pull one out every once in a while and shake up a classic tipple or two. Check out some of these long-stemmed sippers to try this weekend.
- Corpse Reviver No. 2 – Gin and Lillet Blanc come together again in this eye-opening concoction.
- French Blonde – This Parisian gin and Lillet treat is sweet, floral and tart.
- White Negroni – Gentian liqueur, gin and Lillet Blanc craft this potent and tasty tipple.
- Sweet July Rosé Sangria – Lillet Blanc, Chambord and a lovely rosé craft this summertime favorite.
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