A Brandy Alexander is a
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
-based dessert cocktail, consisting of
cognac,
crème de cacao, and cream, that became popular during the early 20th century. It is a variation of an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
. The cocktail known as Alexander today may contain
gin or
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
. Ice cream can be added for a "frozen Brandy Alexander".
History
There are many rumours about the origins of the cocktail. Some sources say it was created at the time of the London wedding of
Princess Mary and
Viscount Lascelles in 1922. Drama critic and
Algonquin Round Table member
Alexander Woollcott said it was named after him. Other sources say it was named after the Russian tsar
Alexander II.
The drink was possibly named after Troy Alexander, a bartender at
Rector's, a New York City restaurant, who created the drink in order to serve a white drink at a dinner celebrating
Phoebe Snow, a character in a popular advertising campaign in the early 20th century.
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
was introduced to it on March 12, 1974, by
Harry Nilsson, on Lennon's so-called "lost weekend". The pair began heckling the
Smothers Brothers, and whilst being ejected Lennon allegedly assaulted a waitress. Lennon later said the drinks "tasted like
milkshakes".
In film and television

In the 1962 film ''
Days of Wine and Roses'', alcoholic Joe Clay, played by
Jack Lemmon, takes Kirsten Arnesen, played by
Lee Remick, out on a date. When she explains that she dislikes liquor but likes chocolate, he orders her a Brandy Alexander. This begins Kirsten's descent into alcoholism.
In the 1970
pilot of the television series, ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 ...
'', the namesake character adds to a running gag by asking for a Brandy Alexander during a job interview.
In the 1981 film ''
Tattoo'',
Bruce Dern takes
Maud Adams out for dinner and orders a Brandy Alexander. When she comments that he does not look the Brandy Alexander type, he replies, "I like the foam...it reminds me of the ocean."
In the 1981 television adaptation of ''Brideshead Revisited'' (
discussed below), Anthony Blanche (
Nickolas Grace) takes Charles Ryder (
Jeremy Irons) out for drinks, ordering four Brandy Alexanders for the two of them: "I expect you would prefer sherry, but my dear Charles, you're not going to have sherry tonight. You're going to try this delicious concoction instead." When Charles reacts hesitantly to his first sip, Anthony proceeds to drink all four cocktails in rapid succession.
In the 2008
James Gray movie ''
Two Lovers'', Michelle (
Gwyneth Paltrow) tells Leonard (
Joaquin Phoenix) she drinks Brandy Alexanders with her boyfriend Ronald, a rich lawyer. Leonard orders one at a restaurant to impress her, but ruins the effect by mistaking the stirrer for a straw.
In print
The character Brandy Alexander in the novel ''
Invisible Monsters'' by
Chuck Palahniuk is named after the drink.
Anthony Blanche orders four "Alexandra cocktails" in
Evelyn Waugh's novel ''
Brideshead Revisited''.
Christian Kracht repeats the four Brandy Alexanders motif in his 1995 novel ''
Faserland''.
In Kurt Vonnegut's book, ''
Mother Night'', the protagonist suspects that an overly flattering article in the ''
Herald Tribune'' about his neighbor was "written by a pansy full of Brandy Alexanders."
See also
*
List of cocktails
References
External links
IBA Official Cocktails
{{IBACocktails
Cocktails with brandy
Cocktails with chocolate liqueur
Cocktails with ice cream
Creamy cocktails
Three-ingredient cocktails