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A Spontaneous Libation for your Consideration

Twentieth Century Cocktail

Posted by Barsoom. Created by W.J. Tarling.
1 1⁄2 oz Gin, Plymouth
3⁄4 oz Crème de Cacao, Marie Brizard (white)
3⁄4 oz Aromatized wine, Lillet Blanc
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
Instructions

Shake, strain, coupe. No garnish.

Notes

May be too sweet for modern tastes. Ted Haigh suggests using 1/2 oz or a scant splash of Crème de Cacao. Dan Perrigan suggests a mere 1/2 tsp. Also, consider using Cocchi American rather than modern Lillet.

History

Also Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, Ted Haigh, p272. Dan Perrigan http://egullet.org/p1770015

Curator rating
4 stars
Average rating
4 stars
(29 ratings)

From the Knowledge Vault

Craft Cocktail Making: Theory and Structure of Bitterness

So far we’ve investigated the role that acidity and sugar play in the creation of craft cocktails. While sugar predates acidity in cocktail history, these building blocks can be thought of as a pair – acidity and sugar directly oppose each other. When sugar overpowers acidity, drinks become cloying and heavy. With the reverse, drinks are tart, thin, and unpleasant. It is only when sweetness and acidity balance each other that a cocktail takes on a savory deliciousness that I call tension.

The sweet-sour balance is not the only way to create a craft cocktail. Before the invention of the sour family, cocktails were merely spirit, sugar, water and bitters. This category of drinks, now best exemplified by the Old Fashioned derives their deliciousness through the mitigating effects of sugar on the bitterness of wood-aged spirits and bitters.

The previous articles have stayed clear of any serious chemistry. Unfortunately, bitter and alcohol have a lot going on that needs some explanations, and chemistry provides the language. [editor: Nerd warning. Suck it up.]

Recent Additions

  • 20thC Christmas Cake — Gin, Crème de Cacao, Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon juice, Rich simple syrup 2:1, Vanilla extract
  • Transdermal Celebration — Mezcal, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, Passion fruit liqueur
  • Pisco Fever — Pisco, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Cucumber
  • Golden Plane Ticket — Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aromatized wine, Grapefruit bitters, Grapefruit peel
  • Amber Thrill — Bourbon, Apple brandy, Pumpkin liqueur, Bitters, Lemon juice

Recent Discussion

  • Re Transdermal Celebration, 8 hours 22 minutes ago Shawn C commented:

    I thought this combo sounded familiar, turns out I had experimented with the above in September 2026, with the addition of lime juice, but that trended toward sour, so I switched to lemon juice and added some Damiana to balance. I haven't named it yet.
    The listed cocktail has a great name, and good overall flavor, but the mouthfeel is a bit thick from the Chinola. There are various combinations of related Mezcal/Chinola/Ancho Reyes drinks out there but they almost all use lime, lemon, or pineapple juice which thin the Chinola thickness.

  • Re Odeon, 3 days 10 hours ago Shawn C commented:

    Lightly curated and published (changed title from allcaps, and re-wording on straining). I happened to have the Cointreau Noir, which is a relaunch of Cointreau's original brandy based triple sec (think Grand Marnier.) I picked up the Cointreau Noir some years ago to match two dozen 1920's French cocktail book recipes that called for "Majestic" which had long been discontinued. After looking through some of the 1920's French ads I realized that Majestic had been a Cointreau offering at the time, and the recipe was the basis for the Noir relaunch/renaming.

  • Re super haymaker, 3 days 11 hours ago Shawn C commented:

    I would stir rather than shake this. I didn't have the Evangelista abruzzo punch, but the description of it being a rum based Italian liqueur led me to using Borsci San Marzano instead. The difference is the latter won't have the citrus aspect. The result was complex with the tea like character of the Alpeggio being noticeable here.

  • Re Sharpie Mustache, 5 days 13 hours ago lesliec commented:

    Great with Suze and Luxardo Amaro Abano. Kind of eucalypt notes to my palate.

  • Re Cardinale (Naren Young), 5 days 14 hours ago mako commented:

    Thanks for the curation and for the fixes. Someone should add the "real" one.