The BRANDY ALEXANDER Cocktail Recipe and History

Based on the cocktail known simply as the Alexander which uses gin instead of brandy, a Brandy Alexander is made with equal parts Brandy, Crème de Cacao and cream. According to one grizzled old bartender I knew, the Brandy Alexander is made with dark Creme de Cacao and if it's made with white Creme de Cacao it's known as a Panama. It's primarily considered a dessert cocktail and ice cream is often used in place of the cream.
There's a great lineage to the Brandy Alexander, a family tree of the Alexander family, and it has the typical shrouded past of many vintage cocktails.  Reportedly it was created for the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, in 1922, however, well know opera critic Alexander Dragon claimed The Brandy Alexander was was named after him. Some reports claim it was named after Russian Tsar, Alexander II, while others attribute it to Troy Alexander, a bartender at Rector's restaurant in New York City, who purportedly created it as a drink for a fictitious advertising character called Phoebe Snow.
My history of the drink goes back to my 21st birthday. A Brandy Alexander was the first cocktail I legally ordered at a bar ... I had been going into bars and ordering drinks for two years without ever having been carded. It was kind of nice to finally be "legal" even though things were more lax back in those days and the DUI laws not as punitive. Memories abound whenever I shake one up, and I do, frequently.

THE BRANDY ALEXANDER
INGREDIENTS: 1 Part Brandy 1 Part Creme de Cacao* 1 Part Cream
Garnish: Dark Cocoa Powder, Dusting of Nutmeg
Glass: Cocktail or Coupe
Tools: Cocktail Shaker
DIRECTIONS: Dip the rim of your glass and some of the creme de cocoa then into the dark cocoa powder. Chill the glass in the freezer. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the brandy, creme de cacao and the cream then shake until chilled. Strain into your chilled glass, dust with some nutmeg and serve.
* Most recipes do not specify either white or dark crème de cacao. The few who do call out white, most likely to keep the drink color lighter. There is no flavor difference between the two because the only difference is a coloring agent added to the dark version so either is acceptable in the recipe.

SOME BRANDY ALEXANDER TRIVIA

• John Lennon loved Brandy Alexanders and called them his "milkshakes".
• Mirroring John Lennon, Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show asks a bartender for a malt, "Do you know how to make a brandy Alexander? Just leave out the brandy and give us the Alexander!"
• The Brandy Alexander also made an appearance on the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
• It was featured in the movie The Days of Wine & Roses where Jack Lemmon buys Lee Remick the drink because she loves chocolate but doesn't like the taste of alcohol.
• The Brandy Alexander has been mentioned in numerous other television shows and movies from the first days of film to present day, including The Big Bang Theory, Mad Men, Cheers, Fantasy Island, the Rockford Files, American Horror Story 5,  Three's Company, No More Orchids, Tattoo, Bedazzled, just to name a few.
• There are two songs entitled Brandy Alexander, including one by Feist.

January 31st is Brandy Alexander Day.

Updated 1-2021 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The SAGZERAC Or How I Adulterated the Sazerac for the SAG Awards.

The Sazerac is a venerable, vintage cocktail made with Rye Whiskey, a sugar cube, some Peychaud's Bitters and an Absinthe wash (wash the inside of the glass, then discard the spirit). I love a great Sazerac, my 2nd favorite* Mardi Gras drink, but did I mess with the recipe? You bet I did, it's just what I do. It's my little shout-out to @Thitia and my friends over at Stylamerican and tonight's SAG Awards.
I removed the absinthe and sugar cube altogether and replaced them with an anise, cardamom, fennel infused simple syrup. I also replaced the Peychaud's Bitters with Scrappy's Lavender Bitters. Absinthe and Peychaud's are really the defining elements of a Sazerac so just slap me now because I'm not done yet. I also added a wee bit of good blackberry brandy. These all work nicely with the spicy Templeton Rye for a version of Sazerac where, like in films, you have to practice a little suspension of disbelief.
I'll catch flack for this, but let's be fair, I'm not calling this a Sazerac either ....
The
SAGZERAC
Cocktail    INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Templeton Rye Whiskey
1/2 Oz. Blackberry Brandy
1 Tsp. Anise Cardamom Simple Syrup*
Dash of Scrappy's Lavender Bitters
Ice
GARNISH:  Star Anise, Orange Twist
TOOLS: Mixing Glass, Bar Spoon GLASS: Old Fashioned
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer.
Fill a mixing glass with ice.
Pour in the whiskey, the blackberry brandy, the anise cardamom simple syrup and the lavender bitters then stir until chilled.
Add a large ice cube to your glass then strain the cocktail over the ice, garnish and serve.
* My favorite Mardi Gras drink was, is and always will be the RAMOS GIN FIZZ.   *ANISE CARDAMOM SIMPLE SYRUP RECIPE   INGREDIENTS: 2 C. Sugar 1 C. Water 1 Tablespoon of Cardamom Seeds, Crushed 1/4 Tsp. Fennel Seeds, Crushed 4 Star Anise   DIRECTIONS: Add 2 cups of sugar and one cup of water to a saucepan and heat just to boiling. Immediately remove from the heat, add crushed cardamom seeds, 4 star anise, the fennel seeds and dried orange peels and allow to steep until cooled. The longer the herbs stay in the syrup, the stronger the flavor will be. Strain and store in the refrigerator for up to two months or until you see crystallization.
Enjoy the Awards, don't have too many of these unless you have a limo to and from your festivities.
Updated 7-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

The HAMMERED NAIL

I grabbed my bottle of Drambuie the other day to do a version of the Robert Burns cocktail for Burn's Night and it got me going on Drambuie again. Drambuie is a spiced honey and herbal liqueur distilled from Scotch that I've been drinking for decades as an after dinner tipple.  I always have a bottle of Drambuie in my bar, everyone should. Not only is it a classic digestif, but it's one of the two ingredients in a Rusty Nail and it goes nicely with Champagne in a Bonnie Prince Charlie.

After doing the Robert Burns Cocktail, I thought I'd try the Drambuie with another whiskey and something with chocolate and coffee. The combination sounded appealing to me so I grabbed some Templeton Rye, Caffe Borghetti, and some Creme de Cacao and set about working out the balance. At the very end I added some orange bitters to counterbalance the richness and spices of spirits used and hit the sweet spot. Gaz Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6 are the best for this because they bring the most brightness from the orange to the party.
What I ended up with reminded me of a drinkable chocolate orange spice truffle spiked with whiskey, lots and lots of whiskey.
Yeah, I can live with that.

The HAMMERED NAIL Cocktail
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Oz. Rye Whiskey
1/2 Oz. White Cream de Cacao
1/2 Oz. Drambuie
1/2 Oz. Coffee Liqueur
2 Hearty Dashes Orange Bitters
2 large Ice Cubes

GARNISH: Orange Twist, Bordeaux Cherry

GLASS: Old Fashioned  (Rocks)

DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer while you get your ingredients together. Add two large ice cubes to the glass then pour in the whiskey, the creme de cacao, Drambuie and the coffee liqueur and stir until chilled. Tap in the bitters, garnish and serve.

My little personal bit of Drambuie history:

When I first started drinking Drambuie the bottle looked like this:



Now it looks like this:
 

I like the old bottle much better, it looks like a good liqueur. The new bottle makes it look like cheap whiskey. I kept the last old one I had and I pour my refills into it. It's a little quirk that is an ode to my sister, who introduced me to Drambuie (as she did many other spirits) way back when. Dear Drambuie, go back to the old bottle, it's just classier.
Updated 2-2019 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The ROBERT BURNS Cocktail for Burn's Night

WHAT IS BURN'S NIGHT?

Burn's Night, or Robert Burns Day, Robbie (Rabbie) Burns Day or Burn's Nicht, is an annual celebration in Scotland of their most famous poet and bard, Robert Burns who was born January 25, 1759. Burns, who wrote Auld Lang Syne, is the national poet of Scotland and every year they celebrate by having a Burns Supper, serving traditional Scots food and, of course, drinking Scotch.

Happily there is a great cocktail called The Robert Burns (very similar to a Rob Roy) which is perfect for Burn's Night celebrations and there's also a great article by Gary "Gaz"Regan on it's provenance. In it Regan mentions several variations, one of which is David Embury's 1950s adaptation which suggests Drambuie replace the absinthe. (I checked Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks and he also lists a version using Benedictine instead of absinthe.)
Though a classic Robert Burns is Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, absinthe and orange bitters, I rather liked the idea of the Drambuie. Drambuie is a liqueur made from Scotch whisky, honey, herbs and spices and is a warmer and less aggressive liqueur than absinthe, making this version of the drink smoother and less herbal. To complement the Drambuie, I replaced the orange bitters with Peychaud's and added an orange twist instead of lemon.

The
ROBERT BURNS Cocktail 

INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Scotch Whisky
1 Oz. Drambuie
3/4 Oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 Dash of Peychaud's Bitters

GARNISH: Orange Twist

GLASS: Cocktail (Martini)

TOOLS: Mixing Glass

DIRECTIONS:
Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice until chilled, strain into the cocktail glass, garnish and serve.

Pair up with a few Scots shortbread biscuits (cookies) and you have the perfect Burn's Night treat.
VOICEOVER VIDEO with Ingredients & Directions:

Updated 1-2022

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The CASABRANCA COCKTAIL Inspired by Casablanca

Based on Murray Burnett and Joan Allison's play, Everybody Comes To Rick's, the classic movie Casablanca was released on January 23, 1943.

Ah, Casablanca. Classic film noir with that bittersweet ending. I wasn't even born when it came out, yet I rewatch it about once a year. Recently, on a rainy evening, I yanked out my DVD for a little Rick-Ilsa-Victor-Morroco fix. I love that movie, the film noir look, the era and especially the soundtrack. As Time Goes By is a beautiful piece of music and that classic piano scene where Sam (Dooley Wilson) performs it is my favorite part of the movie, and, of course, provides one of the film's most classic quotes:
"Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'." ~ Ilsa*
I had also recently been working with Fernet Branca and "Casabranca" just popped into my mind. I put the disc on pause and headed to my bar. After all, what's a classic forties movie without a cocktail? 
Though gin was a more popular liquor during World War II, the Diplomatico was my choice to pair with the Fernet because, of the pineapple juice and coconut honey. With the (bitter) herbal Amaro balancing the sweetness of the pineapple juice and honey, it turned out to be a "cocktail noir" of a pina colada.
Yeah, its a cocktail pun but, come on, it's a really good pun for a really good cocktail and "il est un cocktail parfait" for Casablanca viewing!

The
CASABRANCA
Cocktail
A Cocktail Noir
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Dark Rum(I use Diplomatico Reserva Rum)
1/4 Oz. + 1/2 Tsp. Fernet Branca
2 Oz. FRESH Pineapple Juice
1 Tbsp. Coconut Honey Simple Syrup*

GARNISH: Pineapple Chunk, Bourdeaux Cherry
TOOLS: Cocktail Shaker GLASS: Cocktail (Martini)
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then pour in the rum, Fernet Branca, pineapple juice and the coconut honey simple syrup (*warm 1 heaping tablespoon of Coconut Honey Creme with 1 HOT tablespoon of water) and shake until chilled. Pour into the cocktail glass, garnish and serve.
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
* Sorry folks, no one in the movie EVER SAID, "Play it again, Sam."

Updated 1-2022 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

YOU NEED A HUG! COCKTAIL RECIPE

This cocktail recipe is also available as a coloring page in my

COLOR YOUR COCKTAILS Adult Coloring Book available on Amazon. 

First celebrated on January 21st, 1986 in Clio, Michigan, National Hug Day was created by Kevin Zaborney to encourage the world to hug the people they loved more often. Zaborney felt something was needed to combat the general malaise that struck folks after the holidays and started the movement, though he felt ultimately it would fail because, "American society is embarrassed to show feelings in public". Happily he was wrong because thirty years later the world still celebrates National Hug Day.

Curious, I googled to see if there was a hug cocktail, and sure enough there is a cocktail called the Big Hug which consists of Irish Cream, creme de cocoa and hot cocoa. Like I always do, I changed that recipe slightly and added some coffee bitters to balance the sweetness and a cinnamon stick for a little spice.

YOU NEED A HUG

COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS:

1 Oz. Irish Cream Liqueur

1 Oz. Creme de Cacao

2 Dashes of Coffee Bitters

Hot Cocoa

GARNISH: Cinnamon Stick, Espresso Powder

GLASS: Irish Coffee Mug

DIRECTIONS:

Tap the bitters into the glass. Add the Irish cream liqueur and the creme de cocoa then pour in the hot cocoa and top with whipped cream. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a dusting of espresso powder.

Happy Hug Day, go hug someone!

Updated 1-2022

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BEES KNEES COCKTAIL with Spices and Lavender

I have been wanting to do an adaptation of a prohibition cocktail called the Bees Knees for ages. You can't talk about prohibition cocktails without mentioning the Bees Knees, named for a favorite flapper era slang term "the bees knees" which meant something was the epitome of cool.  I first saw a recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 "The Savoy Cocktail Book" then later found the recipe in a copy of Frank Meier’s 1936 “The Artistry of Mixing Drinks” and was intrigued. It sounded good to me, despite the fact most modern references claim the recipe was originally created to hide the taste of the bathtub gins of those days. I thought I'd enjoy a Bee's Knees, especially if a great aromatic gin was employed.

When my friends over at Wild Hibiscus sent me some lovely gifts which included a jar of Honey Ridge Farms' Honey Créme, Spiced ...  ... I thought I'd better get some in a cocktail before I ate it all up right from the jar with a spoon. Then I got a bottle of Hendrick's Gin for my birthday and everything fell into place for my own version of the Bees Knees.
The whole key to this cocktail is the great aromatics from the Hendrick's and the spiced honey simple syrup which hits the palate with a deliciously sinful wollop. It's almost as sinful as visiting a secret, illegal speakeasy. (Psssst, aren't you lucky you have the password?)

If you're looking for some great giggle water to enjoy in your personal juice joint, toss on some glad rags, hop in your flivver and go grab the ingredients but limit yourself to two unless you want to get spifflicated!

Spiced Lavender
BEES KNEESCocktail

INGREDIENTS:
2 oz Hendrick's Gin
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Spiced Honey Simple Syrup (ratio 2:1)
1 FRESH Egg White
2 Dashes Lavender Bitters

GARNISH:  Lemon Twist, Lavender Sprig

TOOLS: Cocktail Shaker

GLASS: Coupe

DIRECTIONS:
Chill the glass in the freezer. To make the Spiced Honey Simple Syrup, warm 2 tablespoons of the spiced créme honey with 1 tablespoon of water in the microwave for 15 seconds, stir until the honey is dissolved and allow to cool.
Add the Hendrick's Gin, lemon juice, spiced honey simple syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker without ice (dry shake) and shake for 30 seconds to emulsify the egg into the cocktail and aerate to create a foam. Add ice and shake to chill.
Strain into a chilled glass, tap a few extra bitters on top, garnish and  serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:

SAVE THE BEES!

World Bee Day is May 20th and National Honey Bee Day is the third Saturday in August.

Updated 8-2021PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY