The Alexander

Though the Alexander originated as a gin drink, I’ve been harangued for making too many of those lately. So I’ve gone with the brandy version. It’s the most well-known and it’s the primary recipe in The Essential Cocktail anyway. Plus, there’s the great song by Feist to consider.

Brandy, you're a fine drink...

1 ounce brandy (I used Courvoisier)
1 ounce dark crème de cacao
2 ounces heavy cream
Nutmeg, a pinch grated on top

Well hello… If loving this creamy, girly drink is wrong I don’t care. Talk about a tastebudular dilemma. Is it a harmless chocolaty refresher or is it a sneaky brandied baseball bat to the head? You will break the world speed-drinking record with this cocktail. Have this instead of dessert. Okay, have two instead of dessert. It’s only 1 ounce of cognac (80 proof) and 1 ounce of crème de cacao (30 proof), so you’d have to drink a few to feel any effects. And with 2 ounces of cream per drink, that plan would be on the fatty side. What the hell. If you have enough to get drunk, you’ll probably vomit up all the cream anyway. Don’t use half & half and pre-ground nutmeg. Go all the way and use the heavy cream and fresh ground nutmeg, I’m sure it makes a difference.

The Golden Cadillac

This cocktail evokes feelings of utter disbelief. I actually said to the glass “Are you kidding me?” I thought the Alexander was tasty but this Golden Cadillac is a work of art. The slight licorice tone is bathed in a sweetness that is hard to describe. It doesn’t taste chocolaty like the Alexander. The crème de cocoa spins in opposite yet unified motion with the Galliano, whereas in the Alexander, the cognac and the cocoa skate shoulder to shoulder along the pebbly tastebuds of your tongue. The Golden Cadillac is a thoughtful, interesting drink. It’s probably something you could only have one or two of though. It has a specific flavor that might soon become too much of a good thing. It’s the same construction as the Alexander only with Galliano instead of the cognac, white crème de cacao instead of dark, and cinnamon instead of nutmeg.

Saturday afternoon I attended the open house at SAEI Los Angeles. That acronym stands for School of Audio Engineering Institute. (What have YOU done to achieve YOUR dream?… Anyone got a spare $20,000 laying around doing nothing?) During the tour of the studios, Instructor Jay boasted about SAEI’s worldwide network (they’ve got schools in 50 cities in 12 countries), and he said that after their audio engineer training the only other job out there as globally accepted was bartending. Hah! I guess I’ll already have a fallback.