fewbottles.com

Cognac, shaken

Brandy Alexander

Barline 1,1,1,c

The code is the shorthand off my printed menu; the Key tab decodes every letter.

Shake hard with ice, then strain.

Coupe.

Open in the menu

Taste

Equal ounces of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream, so chocolate and dairy are two thirds of the drink. Shaken, coupe. Grape brandy, cocoa, and a short cream sour with no citrus.

History

The Alexander starts as a gin drink in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks: equal gin, crème de cacao, and cream. The brandy version took over in the 1920s and 1930s; Harry Craddock prints a Brandy Alexander in the 1930 Savoy. It became the default Alexander. This menu keeps the equal ounces of cognac, cacao, and cream, shaken, coupe, no dusting of nutmeg.

Same shape, other bottles

The Fancy family, with the bottle that changed.

This is one drink on my home bar's menu. Tick the bottles you own and the menu lists which of all 185 drinks they pour.