Clean coal, a train ride and the birth of a commercial drink
There are scores of classic cocktails created since the early 1800s that are often accompanied with engaging, almost romantic origin stories. The Alexander is not one of them. This creamy, chocolate libation was one of the very first cocktails to be created purely for commercial reasons. As the story goes, DL&W Railroad was promoting its use of the clean-burning coal anthracite. Prior to that, railroad excursions were likely a smoky affair, since rail cars didn’t have air con
