Alexander Cocktail: the sweet drink recipe

The Alexander cocktail is a very popular and elegant IBA drink. It is made with only three ingredients — cream, cognac and dark crème de cacao and grated nutmeg. It is a sweet but balanced cocktail to enjoy after dinner, especially if served with a dessert. Quick and easy, you can make the Alexander cocktail in only 5 minutes. It has a low alcohol content, lower than 20°, and for this reason it is very appreciated by women.

The origins of the Alexander drink are still uncertain. According to some, it was created in London by bartender Henry Mc Helhone to celebrate the wedding of Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles in 1922. According to others, instead, it was invented by a New York bartender, whose name was Alexander, before the Prohibition broke out. Let's find out how to make the delicious Alexander cocktail to serve in a chilled glass.

How to make Alexander Cocktail

Chill the small cup with ice. Put more ice in the shaker and add the cognac, dark cream de cacao and cream.

Stir for at least 15 seconds.

Pour the cocktail into the small cup and garnish with grated nutmeg.

Tips

– If you prefer a less sweet cocktail, you can add 2 cl of cream de cacao, in order to get a drier Alexander cocktail.

– Serve the Alexander cocktail well iced as an aperitif to enjoy all the year.

– Although the IBA recipe of Alexander cocktail has among its ingredients cognac, the first original recipe used gin. Therefore, you can also try the version with gin or replace cognac with dark rum, brandy, vodka or coffee liqueur.

– If you love cocktails with a creamy texture, also try the Grasshopper which is light green in color and made with cream de menthe, white cream de cacao and fresh cream.

Alexander Cocktail Variations

To make the Alexandra, replace dark cream de cacao with the light one and nutmeg with bitter cocoa powder.

There are also other variants of Alexander cocktail in which cream de cacao is replaced by whisky cream or mint cream.

If you want to try the Coffee Alexander, use brandy instead of cognac and add 1 cl of coffee liqueur.