Alexander
A sweet and creamy gin cocktail ∙ Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 18.1% ABV ∙
The Alexander is a shaken gin dessert cocktail made with white crème de cacao and cream, served up with a dusting of nutmeg.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Dry shake all ingredients: London dry gin 45 mlWhite Crème de Cacao 20 mlSingle cream/half-and-half 20 mlEgg white 10 ml
- Shake again with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with grated nutmeg
Tips
- Give it 15 seconds without ice so the egg white and cream whip together, then shake again with ice for 12–15 seconds.
History
The Alexander is an early 20th-century cocktail originally made with gin, crème de cacao, and cream. It first appeared in print in the United States in 1914, and Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks gives it as equal parts of the three. Its exact inventor and date remain disputed: some accounts credit bartender Troy Alexander of Rector's in New York, while others link the name to baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, and no single account is definitively supported.
A brandy-based version, popularized in the 1920s by bartenders such as Harry MacElhone, gradually overtook the original in popularity and eventually became known as the Brandy Alexander, a naming convention that only became standard by the mid-20th century. This recipe keeps the original gin base.
FAQ
What is in an Alexander cocktail?
London dry gin (45 ml), white crème de cacao (20 ml), half-and-half (20 ml) and a little egg white (10 ml), with grated nutmeg on top. This is the original gin version, not the Brandy Alexander.
How do you make an Alexander?
Dry shake the gin, crème de cacao, cream and pasteurized egg white for about 15 seconds to build the foam, then shake again with ice for 12–15 seconds. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe and grate fresh nutmeg over the top.
