Brandy Alexander

WPMIXInfobox
iba = yes
name = Brandy Alexander


caption =
type = cocktail
flaming =
brandy = yes
served = straight
garnish = Grated nutmeg
drinkware = cocktail
ingredients = *2cl (one part) Cognac
*2cl (one part) brown Crème de cacao
*2cl (one part) Half-and-half or Fresh cream
prep = Shake together in a mixer half filled with ice cubes. Strain into glass and garnish with nutmeg
notes =
footnotes =

Brandy Alexander is a sweet, brandy-based cocktail that became popular during the early 20th century.

It was supposedly created at the time of the wedding of the Princess Royal and Viscount Lascelles, in London, in 1922 (Source: Classic Cocktail Club, Milan, Italy)

The Brandy Alexander is based on an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an "Alexander".

It is sometimes confused with a drink called a "Panama," which is made with light crème de cacao, instead of the dark crème de cacao used for the Brandy Alexander.Fact|date=March 2007

Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 oz Brandy
* 1 oz Dark Crème de Cacao
* 1 oz Half-and-half or Heavy cream
* 1/4 tsp grated Nutmeg
* Rather than nutmeg, fresh Mint leaves or an equal measure of Ginger have been used for different flavor blends with the Cacao.

Mixing instructions:

"In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the brandy, crème de cacao, and half-and-half. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the nutmeg."

Alternate recipe

Ingredients:

* 2 jiggers dark crème de cacao
* 1 jigger brandy
* 1 pt. vanilla ice cream
* 1 c. crushed ice

Mixing instructions:

"Put all ingredients in blender. Cover and frappé until sherbet consistency. Serve in small brandy snifters with nutmeg sprinkled on top. Yield: 6 (3 oz.) drinks."

Dessert recipe

Brandy Alexander Ice Cream

"The alcohol in the mixture will slow the freezing process and the ice cream will be very soft. For a firmer product, make a day ahead and place the bowl with the freshly made ice cream back in the freezer, allowing it to firm up overnight."

* 5 egg yolks
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons plain flour
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 4 tablespoons Kahlua
* 4 tablespoons brandy

Mixing instructions:

"Whisk egg yolks, sugar and flour together until pale and thick. Place milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and heat until very hot, but do not allow to boil. Stir constantly to prevent scorching. Whisk the milk mixture into egg mixture and return mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. "

"Pour into glass bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least three hours."

To make the ice cream, pour the chilled mixture into the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Makes about a quart.

In popular culture

*Drama critic/celebrity Alexander Woollcott was very fond of this drink, and he encouraged the assumption that it was named after him. (The actual origin of the drink's name is unknown.) In Howard Teichman's biography of Woollcott's friend George S. Kaufman, actress Helen Hayes (who avoided alcohol) recalled an occasion when she drank three Brandy Alexanders (or Brandies Alexander) before realizing they contained alcohol.

*The drink is mentioned in the pilot episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" after Mary Richard's boss asks her if she would like a drink at her job interview.

* The drink is mentioned in the film "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962). Lee Remick loves chocolate but does not like the taste of alcohol so Jack Lemmon buys her a Brandy Alexander. She is impressed.

* "Brandy Alexander" is a song by Feist off the album The Reminder. In the song, she compares a lost love to the cocktail, "goes down easy" and "always gets me into trouble". It's also featured on the Album "Exit Strategy Of The Soul" by Ron Sexsmith, who wrote the song with Feist.

* "Brandy Alexander" is also a song on The Walkmen's album "A Hundred Miles Off".

* In Chuck Palahniuk's novel "Invisible Monsters", one of the main characters calls herself Princess Brandy Alexander.

* The drink was a favorite of John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson during the famous "Lost Weekend" period of Lennon's life. Lennon referred to the drink as a "milkshake."

* The Brandy Alexander is the favorite drink of fictional columnist Jean Teasdale of The Onion.

* In the Adult Swim show Harvey Birdman, Reducto is seen to order one on an occasion.

* "Brandy Alexander" is the pseudonym used by Isabel in the "Viva Las Vegas" episode of the TV series Roswell.

* The drink is mentioned in episode one of the TV series "Brideshead Revisited" (Et in Arcadia ego). Anthony Blanche buys brandy alexander for Charles Ryder, “Two for you and two for me, yum yum”, but as Ryder does not fancy them Blanche drinks them himself.

* In Larry Niven's "A World Out Of Time" Corbell reminisces melancholically about how he used to drink brandy Alexanders with his wife, part of their weekly routine.

* In an episode of "Mad Men", Indian Summer, the character Peggy orders a Brandy Alexander on a blind date.

* "Brandy Alexander" is the name used by one of the editors of the short-lived series "My So-Called Life"

* "Brandy Alexander" is credited as the Production Designer for the TV show "Dexter"

* The drink is mentioned in the Townes Van Zandt song, "Fraternity Blues"

See also

* List of cocktails