Creamy cocktails · Cognac · IBA official
Fresh nutmeg on a pale, velvety surface, and underneath it cognac, chocolate liqueur and cream shaken to the texture of melted ice cream. This is dessert and digestif in one small, cold glass.
1 oz
cognace.g. Hennessy · Rémy Martin · Martell · Courvoisier · Pierre Ferrand
1 oz
dark crème de cacaoe.g. Giffard · Bols · Marie Brizard · Tempus Fugit
1 oz
cream fresh, about 30% fat
Garnish: Freshly grated nutmeg · Ice: Served up, no ice
Alexander (Brandy Alexander)
Smooth and creamy with dark chocolate, vanilla and warming cognac fruit, finished by fragrant nutmeg. Sweet but not heavy when shaken properly.
The Alexander family of drinks goes back to the early 20th century. One of the earliest printed recipes appears in Hugo Ensslin's "Recipes for Mixed Drinks" (1916), and it calls for gin rather than brandy. Popular stories credit a New York bartender named Alexander, or link the drink to celebrations in London in the 1920s, but none of these accounts is firmly documented.
Over the following decades the brandy version overtook the gin original and became known simply as the Brandy Alexander. It was a fashionable after-dinner drink through the mid-20th century. The International Bartenders Association lists the Alexander among its "Unforgettables" with cognac, dark crème de cacao and fresh cream in equal parts.
Early recipes used gin; the brandy version became more popular and is now the standard. The IBA's Alexander uses cognac.
Not really, the cream is essential. For a dairy-free version, a rich oat-based cream alternative works reasonably well.
Around 20% ABV. The cream makes it feel gentle, but it contains a full measure of spirit.
The perfect sound
Velvety and indulgent, made for a late dessert.
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