Julie Crespel
An uptown classic from a downstairs favourite.
Simple, it has been said, can be tough to pull off. Not so the 20th Century, a 1930s cocktail that’s as devastatingly effective as it is easy to throw together. All you need to remember is that, like anything vaguely Martini-related, it needs to be really, really cold. “The secret is to create the balance between the lemon juice and the white crème de cacao and shake the cocktail until it is completely ice-chilled,” says Deniz Memed, assistant manager of esteemed Melbourne bar The Den. If you’ve got the freezer space and can plan ahead, consider splashing your glasses with water and then chilling them down overnight beforehand, along with the gin. The Den at the Atlantic, Riverside at Crown, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank, Vic, (03) 9698 8889.
THE 20TH CENTURY
Place 45ml gin (Memed uses Tanqueray), 20ml white crème de cacao, 20ml Lillet Blanc and 15ml lemon juice in a shaker, fill with ice, shake hard, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon and serve.
