Twentieth Century

History

The recipe for a Twentieth Century was first published in William J. "Billy" Tarling's 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book so this cocktail is thought to have originated in the 1930s. Thanks to Tarling's book, it's known to have been created by "C. A. Tuck."

TWENTIETH CENTURY
Invented by C. A. Tuck
2/5 Booth's Dry Gin.
1/5 Crème de Cacao.
1/5 Lillet.
1/5 Lemon Juice.
Shake

W. J. Tarling, 1937

Bartending legend has it that Tuck named his cocktail after the 20th Century Limited express train that travelled between New York City and Chicago from 1902 until 1967. Advertised as "The Most Famous Train in the World," the steam train's notoriety peaked in 1938 when a new streamlined Art Deco style locomotive and passenger cars came into service. However, that was a year after the cocktail was published in Tarling's book.

Charles A. Tuck was a noted London bartender and Chairman of the United Kindon Bartenders Guide who, before the war, worked at the Buttery Bar in the Hyde Park Hotel. In 1950, he went to the Piccadilly Hotel, where he was a head bartender, and his book Cocktails and Mixed Drinks was published in 1967. This includes a recipe for the Twentieth Century, but sadly, he makes no claim to it or any of the other recipes.

TWENTIETH CENTURY
2/5 Dry Gin
1/5 Creme de Cacao
1/5 Lillet
1/5 Lemon Juice
Shake and strain

Charles A. Tuck, Cocktails and Mixed Drinks, 1967