Video about Brandy Alexander on my YouTube channel.
The Brandy Alexander cocktail is a smooth, creamy, and medium-sweet drink that serves perfectly as a dessert. Its main ingredients are brandy, crème de cacao, and cream. This cocktail is actually the second version of the original Alexander, but it has become so popular that it even has its own day—January 31.
The original Alexander cocktail, which used gin instead of brandy, was created in the early 20th century. Its recipe—equal parts gin, crème de cacao, and cream—was already featured in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 book, Recipes for Mixing Drinks.
There are two main theories about the origin of the Alexander cocktail and its name.
According to the first, the drink was created in honor of baseball, specifically the 1915 World Series. The bartender at the Racquet Club was so caught up in the excitement that he crafted a new cocktail to serve during the games, naming it after Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Grover Alexander.
The second version credits the cocktail to Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector’s, a well-known New York restaurant. Troy is said to have created the drink for a celebratory dinner marking the success of an advertising campaign for the Lackawanna (DL&W) Railroad.
This railroad promoted the use of “pure anthracite” coal, which allowed passengers to travel without arriving covered in grime—a common issue at the time. The campaign’s mascot, Phoebe Snow, was always depicted wearing a spotless white dress. In a clever nod to this, Troy served a whitish cocktail at the event.
During Prohibition, the Alexander cocktail became particularly popular—cream was excellent at masking the harsh taste of low-quality, backstreet gin.
According to a popular account, brandy replaced gin in the Alexander cocktail for the first time in 1922, in London, during Princess Anna’s wedding. The cocktail was crafted by Harry McElhone at Ciro’s Club in honor of the noble bride.
The brandy version quickly surpassed the original gin-based Alexander in popularity. In fact, the International Bartenders Association (IBA) even lists the brandy-based version simply as Alexander, without distinguishing it as “Brandy Alexander.”
Over the past hundred years, many variations of the cocktail have emerged, including:
Alexander the Great – with vodka instead of gin
Alexander’s Sister – with crème de menthe instead of crème de cacao
Alexandra – with white crème de cacao instead of dark crème de cacao
Irish Alexander – with brandy instead of gin and Irish cream liqueur instead of crème de cacao
Alejandro – with rum instead of gin
…and many more.
Here’s the IBA-approved recipe:
Ingredients:
1 oz / 30 ml Brandy
1 oz / 30 ml Dark Creme de Cacao
1 oz / 30 ml Fresh Cream
Process:
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass.
Garnish – fresh ground nutmeg on top.
Drinkware:
Cocktail glass
Visit my online store for a unique poster featuring this cocktail, along with many other beautiful cocktails and other wine-related subjects.
It’s the perfect way to add a touch of sophistication to your kitchen or bar. Click here to shop now!
