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 the origins of the cocktail. 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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