🥃 Alexander

Alexander is a classic creamy cocktail made of gin, white crème de cacao and cream, shaken with ice and served in a coupe glass with freshly grated nutmeg. Its best-known variant is the Brandy Alexander, made with cognac or another brandy, which over time overtook the original.

History. According to Difford’s Guide, the cocktail appeared in the early 20th century, no later than 1915: a recipe with equal parts gin, crème de cacao and cream was printed in Hugo Ensslin’s book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” in 1916. The name is linked either to the baseball player Grover Cleveland Alexander or to the bartender Troy Alexander at New York’s Rector’s restaurant.

Brandy version. The first known brandy recipe, in equal parts, appears in Harry McElhone’s book “Harry of Ciro’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails” of 1923; in “The Savoy Cocktail Book” of 1930 it is “Alexander Cocktail No. 2”. Later the Brandy Alexander became more popular than the gin original.

Recipe. Difford’s Guide’s modern recipe for the Brandy Alexander: 50 ml cognac, dark and white crème de cacao together 25 ml, and 22.5 ml chilled cream. For the gin version: 45 ml gin, 22.5 ml each of crème de cacao and cream and, if desired, a little egg white.

Why it matters to you. Cream and sweet liqueur make the taste mellow, but one serving contains about 50 ml of a strong spirit plus liqueur. The cocktail contains dairy cream, which matters for lactose intolerance. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.