Cocktail of the Week: The Alexander
Take a taste of 1920s New York with this nutmeg-tinged tipple
When Prohibition took hold in America, the thirsty took off for Cuba. From a pier in New York, the ‘Aeromarine’ fleet of planes transported the best of bartending talent to Middle America. With their tails painted black, these planes became iconic, and decades later leant their name to BlackTail – an establishment in New York largely recognised to be the best cocktail bar in the world.
This February, BlackTail will begin a three-night residency at the Bloomsbury Club Bar, and shall bring eight of their classic cocktails – each one of which is inspired by the Prohibition era.
The Alexander cocktail is one of the most visually refined, yet striking, of this octet. If you want to make it at home, you’ll need an extensive drinks cabinet – but we know many of you gent keeps your arsenals well stocked – so here goes.
Begin by adding 2 dashes of Mole Bitters into a stainless steel cocktail shaker. Add 0.25oz of Sherry, half an ounce of Creme de Banana, and stir.
Next make up 1 oz of Alexander Biz (using 0.75oz of Mandarin Napoleon and 0.25oc of Curacao) and 1 oz of Jerez Batch (using half and half measures of a Gran Reserva Brandy and El Dorado 12 year). Add these to the cocktail and continue to stir.
Decant into a cocktail glass, add a thin cream float and garnish lightly with grated nutmeg.
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