The Twentieth Century Cocktail Recipe

Chill glass

Place a coupe or martini glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice (about 1 cup).

Measure and pour 1.5 oz Bombay Dry gin into the shaker.

Add 0.75 oz Lillet Blanc to the shaker.

Add 0.75 oz white Crème de cacao to the shaker.

Add 0.75 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice to the shaker. Taste; if you prefer the drink slightly sweeter, add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp simple syrup and stir briefly.

Dry shake (optional for foam)

If you want a slightly silkier texture, give the mixture a 10–15 second dry shake (shake without ice) to incorporate the lemon and liqueur before adding ice.

Add ice (if you dry-shook) or simply shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is well chilled and slightly frosted.

Discard ice or water from the chilled glass if you used ice water. Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or martini glass using a hawthorne or julep strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove small ice chips and any pulp.

Express a lemon twist over the drink to release the oils, run it around the rim if desired, and drop it into the glass as garnish.

Serve immediately.