Golden Cadillac Cocktail Recipe

The Golden Cadillac is a sweet and creamy mid-century cocktail combining equal parts Galliano liqueur, white créme de cacao, and heavy cream. 

Poor Red’s, an El Dorado, California bar still in operation, claims to be the birthplace of the Golden Cadillac in 1952. According to the venue’s lore, a newly engaged couple came in to celebrate and asked bartender Frank Klein for a special cocktail. Supposedly inspired by the couple’s shiny new car, Klein named the drink Gold Cadillac. 

Originally served in a Champagne coupe, the drink made it to Poor Red’s menu and was an instant hit among the regulars and visitors alike. So much so that Galliano, the sweet and herbal Italian liqueur brand, noticed an increase in sales in the Northern California region. After discovering the drink, the company created a marketing campaign around it in the mid-1960s, making the cocktail known around the world.

The Golden Cadillac experienced a surge in popularity in the 1970s during Galliano’s heyday when Harvey Wallbangers were the rage.

Why does the Golden Cadillac work?

Like the Negroni or the Last Word cocktail, the Golden Cadillac is an equal parts drink, meaning all the ingredients involved have the same proportions. These simple recipes are bartender favorites not only because they are so easy to remember but also because they’re easy templates to riff on. Swapping out just one ingredient can either slightly tweak the recipe or change the drink entirely.

In the case of the Golden Cadillac, the closest relative with a similar profile and construction is the Brandy Alexander, also made with créme de cacao and heavy cream, but with brandy as the third ingredient. What differentiates the two drinks is the sweeter and more herbaceous profile of the Galliano liqueur in the Golden Cadillac versus the drier, heavier pour of brandy in the Brandy Alexander.

The two liqueurs provide sweetness, viscosity, and depth of flavor. While the créme de cacao lends rich chocolate notes, the Galliano liqueur contributes a variety of flavors, including vanilla, anise, and earthy aromatics. The heavy cream turns this drink into a rich dessert beverage, providing a luxurious mouthfeel akin to a boozy melted ice cream.