The Savoy Project Day Four – Alexander Cocktail (No. 1)

The Savoy Project is an online chronicle of Cocktails, 365 editor Mark A. Vierthaler’s quest to make every single cocktail in The Savoy Cocktail Book. Each recipe contains the original recipe as it appeared in the book, as well as which brand Mark used in parenthesis next to the ingredient.

The Alexander Cocktail No. 1 is the lesser known of the Alexanders, featuring gin instead of brandy.

Alexander Cocktail No. 1 | ® 2017 Cocktails, 365

• 1/2 Dry Gin (Captive Spirits Distilling Big Gin)
• 1/4 Creme de Cacao (Mr. Boston)
• 1/4 Sweet Cream (i.e. Whipping Cream)

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

Mark’s Notes:

You don’t traditionally see gin and chocolate within the same cocktail. There’s a very good reason for that, when you consider that the bright and floral botanicals of gin don’t exactly compliment the heavier notes of chocolate. Especially the super-heavy Creme de Cacaos you’re likely to pick up at your average liquor store.

That’s not to say that some of the individual botanicals aren’t wonderful with chocolate (hello, lavender).

Anyone with much of a passing familiarity will immediately start calling bullshit on the version as well, as the more famous of the “Alexander” cocktails is the Brandy Alexander. In his tome, Harry Craddock lists the more popular sibling as the Alexander Cocktail (No. 2), which will be tomorrow evening’s featured cocktail.

HOWEVER. Despite its seeming disparate ingredients, it is actually a surprisingly pleasant cocktail. The botanicals cut through some of the sweetness, and it creates an ALMOST artisanal chocolate bar-like flavor.