History

The Alabazam first appears in Leo Engel's 1878 American and Other Drinks.

ALABAZAM.
Use tumbler.
One tea-spoonful of Angostura bitters; two tea-spoons of orange Curaçao; one tea-spoonful of white sugar; one tea-spoonful of lemon juice; half a wine glass of brandy. Shake up well with fine ice and strain in a claret glass.

Leo Engel, American and Other Drinks, 1880

However, the short, straight-up, bitter-heavy 1878 recipe bears little resemblance to the tall Alabazam we know today, and which comes from William Schmidt's 1892 The Flowing Bowl – When and What to Drink.

Alabazam.
A large bar glass,
The juice of ½ lemon,
1 barspon of sugar,
1 dash of Seltzer; mix this well;
Fill your glass 2/3 with fine ice,
2 dashes of curaçao,
1 drink of brandy.
Stir well, strain, and serve.

William Schmidt, The Flowing Bowl – When and What to Drink, 1892

Leo Engel's short Alabazam appears in a more refined form in Louis Fouquet's 1896 French book Bariana: Recueil pratique de toutes boissons américaines et anglaises. This is where our recipe is adapted from.

ALABAZAM COCKTAIL
Verre D
Prendre le verre à mélange A, glace en pelits morceaux, 4 traits d'angostura, 8 traits de curaçao, 4 gouttes de jus de citron. Remplir avec cognac Curlier, bien agiter avec cuillère, passer, verser zeste de citron el servir.

Translation: ALABAZAM COCKTAIL
Glass D ["Cocktail glass." Water capacity: 90 grams]
Take mixing glass A, ice cubes, 4 dashes of angostura, 8 dashes of curaçao, 4 drops of lemon juice. Fill with Curlier cognac, shake well with a spoon, strain, add lemon zest and serve.

William Schmidt, The Flowing Bowl – When and What to Drink, 1892