Cocktail "Brandy Alexander": recipe, history of creation

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

We present to your attention the recipe of one of the most famous elite alcoholic cocktails. The proposed variations are designed for both true gourmets and ordinary lovers of delicious alcohol.

History of Appearance

The Brandy Alexander cocktail, like many other alcoholic drinks containing sweet ingredients, appeared thanks to the beloved by all of us and the well-known "prohibition" approved in the United States of America at the very beginning of the twentieth century. The composition of this cocktail in its original version includes cream and sweet liquor. In fact, the sweet ingredients helped mask the alcohol in the drink. In this way, thoughtful businessmen managed to bypass the strictest ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages throughout the United States.

Who invented BrandyAlexander "? The creator of the cocktail is called the bartender, who in the twenties of the last century worked in one of the most famous underground American bars called Speak Easy (in Russian letters you can find the name "Speakeasy" in Russian letters). If you translate the name of the bar, you get "Speak easily ". Although the question of whether it will be possible to speak easily after drinking a lot of Brandy Alexander is rhetorical. The regular customers of this institution were representatives of the high society of America.

Name history

The origin of the cocktail's name was studied by amateur etymologist Barry Popik. As you already understood, traditional Greek and Brandy Alexander don't mix well. The origin of the name is purely American, but more precisely - English. Barry managed to find an article by W alter Winchell (a columnist for the Evening Independent) published in 1929, which talked about a dinner party at the well-known Rector's before Prohibition went into effect. The character, in honor of which the very dinner was given, was chosen very unusual. The heroine is Snow White Phoebe (also called Phoebe Snow), a fictional girl from a commercial about the United States railroads. Crystal clear white clothes have always been an essential attribute of Phoebe, and the girl herself loved immensely to be a passenger of perfectly cleaned American railroad trains. The bartender at the Phoebe tribute was a Troy Alexander. It was he who decided to mix in honor of the heroineAmerican advertising, and part-time - the hero of the occasion, a cocktail of crystal white color. He did it pretty well, but since the girl turned out to be fictional, "Brandy Alexander" was named after its author.

According to another version, the cocktail got its name in honor of the famous literary critic Alexander Wouttok. That same Alexander was very fond of visiting bars with enviable frequency, and he did it precisely for the sake of a cocktail, which was later named after him. The recipe for the Brandy Alexander cocktail was included in Harry McKelhon's bar card, which was called ABC Cocktails. It is known for certain that this happened in 1922.

The story is not limited to two versions. There is a third version of the origin of the name of the cocktail. They say that in fact this alcoholic drink was not created at all in the twentieth century and, of course, not in America. According to this version, the cocktail was first prepared for the wife of King Edward VII of England named Alexandra. At first, the drink bore a female name, which later changed into a male variation.

Brandy Alexander Recipe

Traditional recipe

If you make a cocktail following the old traditions, you will need brandy, brown cocoa liqueur, cream and ground nutmeg. The preparation technology is very simple: the three main ingredients (brandy, cocoa liqueur and cream) should be mixed in a shaker in a ratio of 1:1:1, 30 ml each. Pour the drink intococktail glass and sprinkle with nutmeg. You can throw a couple of ice cubes.

Gourmet recipe

Good brandy is a rarity in Russia, so alcoholic gourmets, in order not to spoil the impression of a cocktail, can replace brandy with high-quality cognac. We take 25 ml of light cocoa liquor and cream, mix in a shaker with 30 ml of cognac and a few ice cubes. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with ground nutmeg on top.

Recipe for mere mortals

Traditions were turned, gourmets were pleased, it was the turn of average Russians, who find it rather difficult to get not only high-quality brandy, but also light cocoa liquor, which is necessary for making "Brandy Alexander" in accordance with all the rules. It can be replaced with grated dark chocolate (with a cocoa content of at least 70%) and sugar syrup. We mix the ingredients in a shaker in the following proportions: 45 ml of cognac (if you still find a good brandy, then take it), 30 ml of cream, 10 ml of double sugar syrup, a teaspoon of grated dark chocolate (it is better not to save on chocolate). Add ice (you can immediately in a shaker, you can in a glass), sprinkle grated nutmeg on top, which, by the way, can also be replaced with grated dark chocolate.