The Twentieth Century Cocktail

I want to christen this blog with my current favorite cocktail, the Twentieth Century. I first made this drink a couple of months ago, after buying Ted Haigh's book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. It knocked me out. It's one of those drinks where you really taste all the ingredients one at a time. Tart lemon, boozy gin, dry Lillet, then... is that CHOCOLATE? Yes. creme de cacao. Then there's the name. According to Haigh, The Twentieth Century wasn't invented until the 1930s and refers to some sort of deco train rather that the entire 100 years. But I like to sip it thinking of Adolf Hitler and Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks and Charles Manson, Bette Davis and Andy Warhol. Complicated.



The Twentieth Century (from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

1 1/2 oz. Gin. (Beefeater is perfect)
3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc.
1/2 oz. light creme de cacao. (Apparently some people like less, but really then what's the point?)
Juice of half a lemon (3/4 oz.)

Shake.