A Brandy Alexander is a brandy-based dessert cocktail[1][2] consisting of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream, that became popular during the early 20th century.[3] It is a variation of an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an Alexander. The cocktail known as Alexander today may contain gin or brandy.[4] Ice cream can be added for a "frozen Brandy Alexander".[5]
| Cocktail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Cocktail |
| Base spirit | |
| Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
| Standard garnish | Sprinkle fresh ground nutmeg on top. |
| Standard drinkware | .svg) |
| Commonly used ingredients |
|
| Preparation | Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. |
History
editThere are many rumours about its origins. Some sources say it was created at the time of the London wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922.[6] Drama critic and Algonquin Round Table member Alexander Woollcott said it was named after him. Other sources say it was named after the Russian tsar Alexander II.[7]
The drink was possibly named after Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector's, a New York City restaurant, who created the drink in order to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating Phoebe Snow, a character in a popular advertising campaign in the early 20th century.[8]
John Lennon was introduced to it on March 12, 1974, by Harry Nilsson, on Lennon's so-called "lost weekend". The pair began heckling the Smothers Brothers, and whilst being ejected Lennon allegedly assaulted a waitress.[9] Lennon later said the drinks "tasted like milkshakes".[10]
In film and television
edit
In the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses, alcoholic Joe Clay, played by Jack Lemmon, takes Kirsten Arnesen, played by Lee Remick, out on a date. When she explains that she dislikes liquor but likes chocolate, he orders her a Brandy Alexander. This begins Kirsten's descent into alcoholism.[11]
In the 1981 film Tattoo, Bruce Dern takes Maud Adams out for dinner and orders a Brandy Alexander. When she comments that he does not look the Brandy Alexander type, he replies, "I like the foam...it reminds me of the ocean."[12]
In the James Gray movie Two Lovers, Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) tells Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) she drinks Brandy Alexanders with her boyfriend Ronald, a rich lawyer. Leonard orders one at a restaurant to impress her, but ruins the effect by mistaking the stirrer for a straw.[11][13]
In the 1970 pilot of the television series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the namesake character adds to a running gag by asking for a Brandy Alexander during a job interview.[14]
In print
editThe character Brandy Alexander in the novel Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk is named after the drink.[15]
Anthony Blanche orders four "Alexandra cocktails" in Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited.[16] Christian Kracht repeats the four Brandy Alexanders motif in his 1995 novel Faserland.[17]
In Kurt Vonnegut's book, Mother Night, the protagonist suspects that an overly flattering article in the Herald Tribune about his neighbor was "written by a pansy full of Brandy Alexanders."[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Experience the Taste of Classic Style With 20 Timeless Cocktails". The Spruce Eats.
- ^ "17 Delicious Cocktails That Let You Drink Dessert". The Spruce Eats.
- ^ Imbibe Magazine, May/June 2010, p. 38
- ^ "The Unforgettables | International Bartenders Association". Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Buller's Professional Course in Bartending For Home Study. Harvard Common Press. 16 September 1983. ISBN 9780916782337.
- ^ Classic Cocktail Club, Milan, Italy.
- ^ "National Brandy Alexander day". eatocracy. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "Behind the Drink: The Brandy Alexander". Liquor.com. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ "When John Lennon and Harry Nilsson Got Tossed From the Troubadour for Heckling". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- ^ "The John Lennon we did not know". TODAY.com. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- ^ a b Aftab, Kaleem (20 March 2009). "The movie cocktail – what's your poison tonight?". The Independent. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- ^ Tattoo (1981) – Quotes, retrieved 29 July 2018
- ^ Mason, Ian Garrick (27 April 2009). "Magnetic Suns and Moth Balls: An essay on James Gray's Two Lovers". iangarrickmason.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
- ^ Lee, Lanee (29 July 2020). "Drink in History: The Brandy Alexander". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "The Rockford Files". 27 March 1974 – via IMDb.
- ^ Waugh, Evelyn (1962) [1945]. "2". Brideshead Revisited. p. 48. ISBN 9780140008210.
- ^ Faserland (1995) chapter 7
- ^ Vonnegut, Kurt. Mother Night. p. 50.
External links
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