Wintertime means sweets. Don't ask me why; I didn't make the rules. What I do know is that during the shorter months, my taste for things sour and things acidic vanishes, and I want unctuous, sweet and rich tastes and textures instead.
At Sly's, we have just finished creating a dessert cocktail list. As anyone who has seen our main list can attest, we did not choose the drinks for the list lightly. The cocktails on Sly's classic cocktail list must be able to have withstood the test of time, be comprised of universally-enjoyed flavors, and have an integrity of their own. The dessert/after dinner list is no differnt. Oh, and in the case of the next three cocktails from our after dinner cocktail list, they must also have chocolate...lots of chocolate. Chocolate? Oh yeah, chocolate fits the bill.
Here are three cocktails that I want to tell you a bit more about, Dear Reader, as they certainly meet all the requirements. They're good, they're classic, and if there is a "chocoholic" in your life, bringing them to Sly's for a nightcap certain to usher in some holiday cheer.
The first, and arguably the most famous, is the Brandy Alexander. I often describe to guests as a "grown-up chocolate milk". It's a lovely light cocoa color, and is comprised of brandy (at Sly's our well brandy is actually a French Cognac (fancy brandy, dontcha know that we suspect was used in the orginal), chocolicious dark creme de cacao, cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg. It's based on an earlier cocktail called simply an "Alexander" that has a gin base...and while gin has certainly got a large place in this bartender's heart, it doesn't scream dessert to me. The Brandy Alexander was purportedly created in 1922, for the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles. The Princess Royal was the only daughter of Queen Mary and King George V. The Viscount was a titled and decorated hero of the first World War. By all accounts, quite a pedigree. (And what a party it must have been!) Note that the United States, squeaky dry, in the throes of the Volstead Act, was most definitely not the birthplace of this cocktail.
As a cocktail, the Brandy Alexander is famous for being one in which the person drinking doesn't taste the alcohol. According to Hollywood legend, Helen Hayes, who didn't really drink, recalled an occasion on which she drank three Brandy Alexanders before realizing they contained any alcohol at all! When John Lennon had his "lost weekend", the Brandy Alexander became his favorite drink, which he referred to as a "milkshake". I'm not suggesting any of my dear guests embark upon a "lost weekend", but if a chocolate fix is what is required post-steak, I can recommend the Brandy Alexander as a lovely way to drink one's dessert. Next entry? The Grasshopper, coming up, followed by the Pink Squirrel.
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