The Brandy Alexander cocktail, also known as Alexandra, is an officially recognized IBA cocktail. It offers a sweet, chocolatey, and slightly alcoholic flavor. Its texture is creamy and smooth. Very typical of a digestif, the cocktail is now considered a classic, appreciated for its liquid, retro dessert feel.
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Classic recipePour 3 cl of Cognac (Brandy), 3 cl of dark Crème de Cacao, and 3 cl of single cream into a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (Martini glass). You can, but this is optional, add a pinch of grated nutmeg. |
The Alexander cocktail is said to have appeared around 1915 at the Philadelphia Racquet Club, possibly by a bartender named Troy Alexander. The first recipe used gin, crème de cacao, and crème fraîche and was reportedly created to make a white cocktail in honor of an advertising campaign for Detergent Clean White, a soap brand.
Later, in the 1920s and 1930s, gin was replaced in France with cognac (or brandy), giving rise to the Brandy Alexander, often called Alexandra in French. This cognac version became the most popular around the world and eclipsed the gin original. It was reportedly one of John Lennon's favorite cocktails.
