Spiced Alexander
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 16.7% ABV ∙
The Spiced Alexander shakes cacao-and-coffee spiced rum with two crème de cacaos, cream and egg white to a silky, after-dinner finish. Rich cocoa and warm baking spice lead, the coffee-spiced rum adding a roasted edge before a velvety, softly sweet cream finish closes it out.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Cacao & coffee spiced rum 45 mlWhite Crème de Cacao 15 mlBrown crème de cacao 15 mlSingle cream/half-and-half 25 mlEgg white 10 ml
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with grated nutmeg
Tips
- Strain the first shake back into the tin, then dry shake without ice — this is what builds the thick, stable foam.
- Fine-strain into the chilled coupe to keep any ice shards or egg white strands out of the pour.
- Chill the glass ahead of time so the drink doesn't warm and thin before the foam settles.
History
The Spiced Alexander has no documented creator or debut of its own; it belongs to the wide family of modern riffs that swap the classic Alexander's base spirit for a spiced variant, here spiced rum, layering in coffee and spice notes while keeping the drink's dessert-like, cream-based character.
The Alexander it descends from is an early 20th-century cocktail whose own origin is disputed among several claimants, first appearing in print in Hugo Ensslin's 1917 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks as a gin-based drink. Later versions substituted brandy, giving rise to the now more common Brandy Alexander, while the Spiced Alexander instead reworks the base with spiced rum.
FAQ
What is in an Alexander cocktail?
A classic Alexander is made of gin (or brandy in the Brandy Alexander), crème de cacao, and cream, shaken and served up with grated nutmeg. This build uses a cacao-and-coffee spiced rum in place of the gin or brandy, along with both white and brown crème de cacao, cream, and egg white for extra body.
How do you make an Alexander?
This version is double-shaken: shake the spiced rum, both crème de cacaos, cream, and egg white with ice, strain back into the shaker, then dry shake without ice to build the foam before fine-straining into a chilled coupe and garnishing with grated nutmeg. The dry shake is what gives it a thicker, more stable head than a single-shake Alexander.
