Dark coffee liqueur and vodka at the bottom, a pale cloud of cream on top, and a slow swirl as the two meet. It tastes like an iced coffee with a kick: sweet, roasted and velvety.
1¾ oz
vodka
¾ oz
coffee liqueur such as Kahlúa
1 oz
cream lightly whipped or single cream
Garnish: None · Ice: Ice cubes
White Russian
Sweet and creamy with roasted coffee, vanilla and a soft, clean vodka warmth underneath. Rich and smooth, with more alcohol than the dessert-like flavor suggests.
The White Russian is a direct descendant of the Black Russian, a simple mix of vodka and coffee liqueur. The Black Russian is usually credited to Gustave Tops, a bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, around 1949. Adding cream turned it into the White Russian, which began appearing in print in the 1960s. Neither drink is Russian: the name refers only to the vodka.
The White Russian had its heyday as a sweet, creamy bar drink in the 1970s and later got a lasting boost from the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, in which the main character, the Dude, drinks it throughout the story. It has been a bar and home favorite ever since.
No. The name comes from the vodka; the drink developed from the Black Russian, usually credited to a bartender in Brussels.
A Black Russian is just vodka and coffee liqueur; the White Russian adds cream or milk.
Yes. The drink becomes lighter and less rich, and the layer on top is less defined.
The perfect sound
A lazy bowling night in a bathrobe, man.
Reader rating
Thanks for rating
Updated:
