Brandy Alexander
30 ml Cognac, 30 ml Crème de cacao, 30 ml Double cream, 1 pinch Nutmeg
Between the Sheets
Cognac, rum and orange - richer than it looks.
Classic
Medium
4 min
Photo: Between The Sheets Cocktail by Zach · CC BY-SA 4.0 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Cognac
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. White rum
- 120 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 120 ml line. Triple sec
- 90 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) and one small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Lemon juice
- 6 twists Lemon twist (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Shake everything with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Method
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 570 ml of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- Chill a coupe.
- Shake the cognac, rum, triple sec and lemon juice with ice for 12 seconds.
- Strain into the coupe.
- Twist a strip of lemon peel over the top and drop it in.
Serve it
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
Between the Sheets
A Sidecar with rum in it, from Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1930s, and named with the kind of wink that got it banned from polite menus for a few decades. It has been quietly returning to lists ever since, largely because it tastes much better than its reputation as a novelty suggests - two aged spirits and an orange liqueur is a serious combination.
Getting it right
The balance between the cognac and the rum is the whole drink: too much rum and it becomes fruity, too much cognac and you have made a Sidecar by accident. Keep the lemon modest - this is a rich drink and should stay that way. And stirred rather than shaken is a perfectly reasonable choice if you want it clear and silky rather than bright and cloudy.
Tasting notes
Warm and rounded, with dried fruit and vanilla from the cognac, a grassy edge from the rum and bright orange over the top. Strong and a little dangerous, in the best way.
More Cognac cocktails
Horse's Neck
40 ml Cognac, 120 ml Ginger ale, 1 dash Angostura bitters, 1 Lemon twist
Sidecar
50 ml Cognac, 20 ml Triple sec, 20 ml Lemon juice, 5 ml Sugar, 1 Orange twist