20th Century
Gin, Lillet, white crème de cacao and lemon. A 1937 drink named for a luxury train, and the proof that chocolate and lemon can share a glass.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the gin, Lillet, white crème de cacao and lemon juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.
A thoughtful finish
- The crème de cacao must be white, and it must be good. A cheap one tastes of sugar and the drink falls flat; a premium one reads as a faint dark-chocolate note behind the citrus.
- Cocchi Americano in place of Lillet Blanc gives the drink the quinine edge it had in 1937.
- Keep the cacao at half an ounce. It is a seasoning here, not a flavour.
Common mistakes
- Dark crème de cacao. The drink turns muddy brown and tastes of a chocolate sour.
- Too much cacao. At three-quarters of an ounce it takes over.
- A delicate gin. The drink wants juniper to stand against the chocolate and citrus.
A few good questions.
Does it really taste of chocolate?
Faintly, on the finish. The crème de cacao is a background note under gin and lemon; nobody would call it a chocolate drink.
What is Lillet?
A lightly bitter aromatised wine from Bordeaux. The original Kina Lillet was more bitter; Cocchi Americano is the closest modern match.
Why the train?
The 20th Century Limited was the most famous express in America, all-first-class between New York and Chicago, and in 1937 naming a drink for it was like naming one for Concorde.
Is it like a Corpse Reviver No. 2?
It is a cousin: gin, Lillet and lemon in both. The Corpse Reviver uses orange liqueur and absinthe where this uses crème de cacao.
Variations
- Corpse Reviver No. 2 — Gin, Lillet, orange liqueur, lemon and absinthe.
- Aviation — Gin, lemon, maraschino and violette.
- White Lady — Gin, orange liqueur and lemon.
- Vesper — Gin, vodka and Lillet.
Where it comes from
1937 · London · C. A. Tuck
The Twentieth Century appears in the Café Royal Cocktail Book, compiled by William J. Tarling in 1937 for the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild, credited to a bartender named C. A. Tuck. It is named for the 20th Century Limited, the New York Central’s express between New York and Chicago, the most glamorous train in America and the setting of the film Twentieth Century. The drink was forgotten for decades and revived in the 2000s, when its combination of Lillet and chocolate liqueur against gin and lemon seemed modern rather than odd. It was written for Kina Lillet; today’s Lillet Blanc makes a slightly softer version.
Sources
- William J. Tarling, Café Royal Cocktail Book, 1937 (book)
- Ted Haigh, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, 2009 (book)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
Strength. About 1.51 US standard drinks at an estimated 20.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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