This Vintage 3-Ingredient Cocktail Was John Lennon's Favorite

A nice cocktail is a sophisticated, tasty drink perfect for a relaxing evening out. Plenty of cocktail drinkers have their personal favorite blend, and celebrities like the late John Lennon are no different. To the Beatles' rhythm guitarist, there was none better than one simple, vintage 3-ingredient cocktail that should be on every home bartender's recipe list: a Brandy Alexander.

A Brandy Alexander is a mixture of heavy cream, brandy or cognac, and crème de cacao, a chocolate-flavored liqueur that comes in white or dark varieties. A Brandy Alexander is typically served in a coupe or martini glass for the aesthetic and because it's served cold (the heat of your hand can warm the drink if you don't use a glass with a stem). This is a very rich cocktail, akin to dessert, and is often served after dinner. In total, it has about 20 grams of alcohol.

John Lennon first tried a Brandy Alexander during his infamous Lost Weekend, an 18-month period during which he separated from his wife, artist Yoko Ono. It was marked by heavy substance use but also great musical success. In March 1974, Lennon discovered the Brandy Alexander (which he sometimes referred to as a "boozy milkshake") on an evening out with singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson at the Troubadour nightclub, where he underestimated its alcohol content, became very inebriated, and was kicked out after shouting at the Smothers Brothers comedy act. Despite his poor behavior, the Brandy Alexander still became Lennon's favorite cocktail afterward (and he did apologize to the Smothers Brothers the next day).

Accounts of the Brandy Alexander's origin vary. Some say that it was invented by bartender Troy Alexander in the early 20th century to pay homage to Phoebe Snow, a character in a railroad advertisement. Others purport that it was made for Grover Cleveland Alexander, then the pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. Regardless of the story, we do know that it's a variant on the classic Alexander cocktail, which is made with gin instead of brandy. It truly took off during the Prohibition Era, though at that time, some gin was foul-tasting, homemade "bathtub gin," so it was swapped out for other spirits in many cocktails. Somewhere along the line, brandy took the place of gin, and the Brandy Alexander was born.

There are several variations on the Brandy Alexander. If brandy's not to your taste, you can make a Vodka Alexander, a Blue Alexander with blue curaçao, and so on. It's typically garnished with freshly grated nutmeg, though you can also use powdered if you don't want to go to the trouble. If you like, you can make it even more of a dessert by using ice cream instead of heavy cream. Since ice cream won't fit in a cocktail shaker, use a blender instead if you choose this route. As long as you can avoid some common cocktail mixing mistakes, it's easy to make a drink that would earn John Lennon's seal of approval.