Tract · Cocktails

Spirit-forward · Stirred · Historical · complexity 2/5

Alexander Cocktail

Grohusko's Alexander is an early whiskey-and-Benedictine aromatic, not the later cream drink.

herbal · warming · orange · aperitif · nightcap · formal

Served in Bar glass. Ice: 1 piece.

Family

Variants (8)

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1908, p.18) — Grohusko 1908

0.75rye whiskey — rye whiskeybase
1 twistOrange peel — orange peelgarnish
0.25Bénédictine — Benedictinemodifier
1 pieceice — iceother
  1. Stir the rye whiskey and Benedictine over ice.
  2. Serve with a twist of orange peel.

Garnish: Twist of orange peel

Ice: 1 piece

Nose
Orange oil and Benedictine herbs rise over the whiskey.
Palate
This is an important correction to later memory, because Grohusko's Alexander is still a compact aromatic rather than a creamy dessert cocktail.
Finish
The finish is herbal, warming, and slightly sweet.
Summary
An early Benedictine-whiskey Alexander from the aromatic club-cocktail line.

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1910, p.32)

0.75 portionrye whiskey — Source gives 75% rye whiskey.base
1 twistOrange peel garnish
0.25 portionBenedictine — Source gives 25% Benedictine.modifier
1 pieceice other
  1. Stir the rye whiskey and Benedictine with a piece of ice and a twist of orange peel.
  2. Serve.

Garnish: Orange peel twist

Ice: Ice

L'Art du Shaker by Dominique Migliorero (1925, p.9)

0.33 partgin — Ginbase
0.33 partcacao liqueur — Cacao Chouvaother
0.33 partcream — Creme fraicheother
  1. Prepare in the shaker, shake hard, strain, and serve in a flip glass.

Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone and Wynn (1927, p.15) — Barflies 1927

0.33 partbrandy base
0.33 partcreme de cacao — Creme de Cacaobase
0.33 partFresh cream — Fresh Creamdilution
  1. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

This matters because it gives us another strong interwar control point for the Alexander line.

Cheerio! A Book of Punches and Cocktails by Charles (1928, p.25)

0.33 drinkgin base
0.33 drinkrich cream dilution
0.33 drinkcreme de cacao — Creme de Cocoamodifier
ice — Fill with ice.other
  1. Place the gin, creme de cacao, rich cream, and ice in a shaker.
  2. Shake well to get a thorough mixture, strain, and serve in a cocktail glass.

Ice: Ice

Cocktails by Pedro Chicote (1928, p.101) — Alexandre spelling

0.5 vasitocognac — Conacbase
1 small spoonmilk — Leche frescabase
0.5 vasitocreme de cacao — Crema de cacaomodifier
  1. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Ice: Chopped ice

This matters because it preserves a Spanish late-1920s Alexander witness with fresh milk instead of a heavier cream formulation.

The Art of Mixing by James A. Wiley and Helene M. Griffith (1932) — Wiley 1932, opening A-B recipe run

0.33 partbrandy base
0.33 partcreme de cacao base
0.33 partFresh cream dilution
  1. Shake thoroughly with ice and strain into glasses.

Peychaud's New Orleans Cocktails by John Held Jr. (1935, p.9)

1 ouncedry gin — Dry Ginbase
1 dashPeychaud's bitters — Peychaud's Bittersbitter
1 ouncecreme de cacao — Creme de Cacaomodifier
1 ouncecream — Sweet Creamother
  1. Shake well with ice, strain into a stem glass, and serve.

Ice: Ice

See also: After-Dinner Cocktail, Angel Kiss Cocktail

The cacao brand wording is OCR-fragile but clearly indicates a cacao liqueur.