Cream-based cocktails are designed to be indulgent. And, although we often associate them with summer – witness the cultural reach of the Piña Colada – they also have a place amid winter celebrations, especially when leaning more heavily into coffee or chocolate flavours. Here are our top five cream cocktails to enjoy any time of the year.
Brandy Alexander
This twentieth-century cocktail has become a bar classic. It is simplicity itself to make, incorporating one part each of brandy, crème de cacao and cream, with the optional addition of an egg white to help create the smoothest of textures when shaken with ice. The Alexander was likely made with gin originally, though we think that brandy seems a more natural pairing for the chocolate flavoured liqueur.
Grasshopper
The Grasshopper may look incredibly modern, thanks to its outlandish colour, but was reputedly first served in 1919 in New Orleans’ legendary Tujague's Restaurant. Like the Brandy Alexander, the Grasshopper is made from equal quantities of just three ingredients – white crème de cacao, green crème de menthe and cream – shaken with ice before serving in a cocoa-rimmed Martini glass. An After Eight in a glass.
White Russian
One of the most popular vodka cocktails (thanks in part to its star turn in 1990s slacker film The Big Lebowski), the White Russian is simple and delicious. Pour a measure of good-quality vodka into a whisky tumbler, followed by a half-measure of Kahlúa, a handful of ice and another half-measure of cream. Stir well to combine and serve.
Mudslide
The mudslide is a variation on the White Russian, except it substitutes Irish cream liqueur for the dairy cream component – which makes it lighter in consistency but slightly more potent. For this cocktail, you can add all three ingredients (in the same 2:1:1 ratio of vodka to Kahlúa and Irish cream liqueur) to a shaker with ice, blending well before straining into an ice-filled lowball glass.
Piña Colada
A retro classic it may be, but a Piña Colada can still hold its own among other creamy cocktails. Shake white rum, coconut cream and tangy pineapple juice (1:1:2 ratio) with a squeeze of fresh lime till thick and creamy. Serve in a hurricane glass, topped with a cherry and garnished with a slice of pineapple for the full indulgence-on-a-tropical-beach effect.
