My boyfriend is cheating on me with, of all people, another cocktail blogger. It’s a hard reality to cope with, but I suppose if his eye was going to wander it only makes sense that he’d look to someone dashing and talented like Jeffrey Morgenthaler. In the past month, he’s made every single bourbon-based recipe that Jeffrey has posted and he’s loved them all. That’s a hell of an act to follow.

As such, when I pulled out the bottle of brandy to warm up in anticipation of next month’s MxMo and the cheater suggested Jeffrey’s Brandy Alexander recipe, well—after some carefully crafted snide comments—I concurred.

1½ oz brandy
1½ oz dark créme de cacao
2 oz soy creamer

Shake well over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

The Brandy Alexander has a long history, being the more popular stepchild of the gin-based Alexander cocktail, which first appeared early in the twentieth century. Popular history holds that the brandy variation was created for the wedding celebration of Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles in London, circa 1922, and became widely known by the middle of the century. Apparently it was such a household name that Mary Richards asked for one during her job interview in the pilot episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. (A pre-employment custom, I might add, that would be awesome to resurrect.)

Much like the Stinger, the Brandy Alexander packs a sweet, strong punch. The chocolate harmonizes beautifully with brandy and the cream rounds out the harsh edges of the liquors, leaving you with a delightful, warming, comforting sort of drink—and that’s before I even get started on the spicy, ethereal touch imparted by the nutmeg. Really, it’s just too good to be ignored. You need to make one right now.