In January 1970, The Times published a recipe for brandy Alexander pie. It was an unassuming confection: a graham-cracker crust filled with a wobbly, creamy mousse and enough alcohol to raise the hair on your neck and then make your neck wobbly too. Later that year, Craig Claiborne, then the food editor, declared it one of the paper’s three most-requested dessert recipes and ran it again. By rights, this should have been the recipe’s swan song.

But thanks to Dick Taeuber, a Maryland statistician, the pie lived on. Taeuber discovered that you could use a simple formula to make the pie in the flavor of almost any cocktail you wanted (3 eggs to 1 cup cream to 1/2 cup liquor). In 1975, Claiborne renamed it Dick Taeuber’s cordial pie and published it once more, this time with all 20 variations (see note).

Calling it a cordial pie doesn’t quite capture its punch or proof. Booze pie would be more fitting. It’s not the kind of thing you want to serve for a children’s birthday party.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups graham-cracker crumbs
  • cup melted butter
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • cup sugar
  • teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • ¼ cup Cognac
  • ¼ cup creme de cacao
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • Chocolate curls, for garnish
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

      691 calories; 41 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 31 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 174 milligrams cholesterol; 843 milligrams sodium

    • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

6 servings

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crumbs with butter. Form in a 9-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool.
  2. Pour 1/2 cup cold water in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over it. Add 1/3 cup sugar, salt and egg yolks. Stir to blend. Place over low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture thickens. Do not boil. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir the Cognac and creme de cacao into the mixture. Then chill until the mixture starts to mound slightly when nudged with a spoon.
  4. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until peaks are firm. Fold the meringue into the thickened mixture.
  5. Whip the cream, then fold into the mixture. Add food coloring if desired. Turn the mixture into the crust. Add garnish, if desired. Chill several hours or overnight.
  • Cordial Pie Variations The Formula: cocktail; liquor (equal parts, 1/2 cup total, unless noted otherwise); crust; garnish 1. Brandy Alexander; Cognac, brown crème de cacao; graham cracker; chocolate curls 2. Chocolate mint; white crème de cacao, brown crème de cacao; chocolate cookie; chocolate curls 3. Grasshopper; white crème de menthe, green crème de menthe; chocolate cookie 4. Eggnog; rum; gingersnap; nutmeg 5. Banana mint; crème de banana, white crème de menthe; graham cracker 6. Pink squirrel; crème de almond, white crème de cacao; graham cracker 7. Brown velvet; triple sec, brown crème de cacao; chocolate cookie 8. Irish coffee; Irish whisky (use double strength coffee in place of water); graham cracker 9. Golden dream; Galliano, Cointreau (use 3/ 4 cup of orange juice in place of water, add 2 tablespoons grated orange peel); graham cracker; toasted coconut 10. Midnight cowboy; chocolate mint, brandy; chocolate cookie 11. Italian mousse; chocolate mint, vodka; chocolate cookie 12. Fifth Avenue; apricot brandy, brown crème de cacao; chocolate cookie 13. Raspberry Alexander; 3 ounces raspberry brandy, 1 ounce white crème de cacao; graham cracker 14. Blackberry Alexander; 3 ounces blackberry brandy, 1 ounce white crème de cacao; graham cracker 15. Banana chocolate cream; crème de banana, white crème de cacao; chocolate cookie 16. George Washington; chocolate mint, cherry brandy; chocolate cookie 17. Shady lady; coffee-flavored brandy, triple sec (use coffee in place of water); chocolate cookie 18. Cheri Suisse; cherry Suisse (cherry chocolate); chocolate cookie 19. Vandermint; Vandermint (chocolate mint); chocolate cookie 20. Sabra; Sabra (orange chocolate); chocolate cookie

Dining and Cooking