Brandy Alexander
Cognac, dark crème de cacao and cream, shaken, with nutmeg on top. The dessert cocktail that earned the right to be one.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the cognac, crème de cacao and cream to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds — cream drinks need a long shake.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and grate fresh nutmeg over the top.
A thoughtful finish
- Shake it longer than you think. Cream needs aeration and cold to become silky rather than heavy.
- Fresh nutmeg is not optional. Pre-ground nutmeg has no aroma, and the aroma is half the drink.
- A VS cognac is right here; the cream and chocolate would hide anything older.
Common mistakes
- Equal parts of everything. The classic 1 : 1 : 1 makes a sweet, thin drink; a little more brandy gives it a spine.
- Cream liqueur in place of cream. It doubles the sugar.
- A warm glass. Cream drinks go flabby fast.
A few good questions.
Brandy or gin?
Brandy is the version almost everyone means; gin is the 1916 original and is drier and more interesting. Both are called an Alexander.
Dark or white crème de cacao?
Dark is traditional for the brandy version and gives the colour. White works and makes a paler drink.
Can I use milk?
You can, but it will be thin. Half-and-half is a reasonable compromise; heavy cream is the drink.
Is it a dessert?
Effectively. Serve it after dinner, in place of pudding, and nobody will complain.
Variations
- Alexander — The gin original.
- Grasshopper — Crème de menthe and crème de cacao with cream.
- Golden Cadillac — Galliano, white crème de cacao and cream.
- White Russian — Vodka, coffee liqueur and cream.
Where it comes from
c. 1915–1930s · New York City · Troy Alexander (attributed, gin version) · Rector's
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The original Alexander was a gin drink — gin, crème de cacao and cream — printed in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks in 1916 and usually credited to Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector’s in New York, who is said to have made it white for a dinner celebrating an advertising character named Phoebe Snow. The brandy version followed in the 1920s or 1930s and overtook the gin one so completely that ‘Alexander’ now usually means brandy. It was John Lennon’s favourite drink, which he called a milkshake, and it is the model for every cream cocktail that came after.
Sources
- Hugo Ensslin, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1916 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
Strength. About 1.4 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.2% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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