In Ian Fleming’s short story Risico, Bond scans the bar of the Excelsior in Rome for his contact Kristatos. He has been told to look for a mustachioed man drinking an Alexandra cocktail. Amused by the ingenuity of the signal, he spots the concoction of cream and vodka sitting on a corner table: ‘The creamy, feminine drink was so much cleverer than the folded newspaper, the flower in the buttonhole, the yellow gloves that were the hoary, slipshod call-signs between agents.’ 

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  While Kristatos went with vodka, the Brandy Alexander (derived from the gin-based Alexander) has long been the standard version of the cocktail. The recipe is simple. Grab 50ml of brandy, 25ml of crème de cacao and 25ml of cream. Shake with ice and strain, then dust with nutmeg. I’m of the firm opinion that the Brandy Alexander – sweet, creamy and delicious yet neglected and maligned – deserves to be resurrected and found on many more cocktail menus. 

  Why did this once-hip cocktail, with its roots in the early 20th century, go out of........

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