Cocktail: White Russian
White Russina
Equipment
- Jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Cocktail Strainer
- Cocktail Glass
Ingredients
- 1 oz Coffee Liquor (30ml)
- 1 oz Vodka (30ml)
- 2 oz Heavy Cream (60ml)
- Ice
- 1 Maraschino Cherry (optional)
Instructions
- In a shaker, messure out and add the coffee liquor, vodka, and heavy cream.
- Add ice and vigerously shake for a minute.
- Strain the mixture over ice into a rocks glass.
- Add a maraschino cherry as garnish, optional.
Notes
White Russian: The King of Cocktails
Long before the Dude came along, the White Russian was my cocktail of choice. Maybe because it was the first cocktail I had ever had that really tasted amazing. High school and college parties tend to a bevy of poorly mixed drinks that never tasted good and only have the singular aim of getting you blotto as fast as possible.
There is also the very outdated, and plainly wrong, theory that men shouldn’t drink sweet cocktails that taste good. So much so that it’s a go to hack joke in every second rate sitcom. Men are supposed to drink bourbon straight from the bottle. Happily, ‘The Big Lebosski’ helped make the White Russian a cool drink to order. Truly, this is my go to drink at wedding or any formal affair.
Some fun facts: The White Russian was created in 1960s. It is the sibling of the older Black Russian. Neither the White or Black Russian originated in Russia, or the Soviet Union. Their names hail from the fact that they use vodka, which is of Russian origin. The only difference between the White and Black Russian is the addition of cream in the former. You can omit the cream and follow the step listed out here if you want to try a Black Russian.
The Perfect White Russian; All about Ingredients
Making a cocktail is not an excuse to use bottom shelve liquor. Garbage in, garbage out.
Vodka
First on your list should be respectable vodka. We always use Kirkland vodka. Price to quality, it really can’t be beat. If you’re not a Costco member, Absolute will get the job done. You can go super fancy and get Grey Goose, if you want.
Coffee Liqueur
When it comes to coffee liqueur, I’m not a huge fan of Kahlúa. It was way too sweet and not even close to tasting like coffee. Sadly, Kahlúa has become the name brand of coffee liqueur. A lot of recipes call for Kahlúa by name, which is a travesty. I think a lot people don’t know there is a world of coffee liqueurs beyond Kahlúa, which are far better. You can, of course, aim higher and make your own.
Follow our recipe here: Make Your Own Coffee Liqueur
Dairy
The last of the major ingredients is the cream. Any bars worth its salt will be using cream instead of milk. This can be a bit of cantankerous topic with those that really love their White Russians. Quite frankly, there is no debate in my mind. Cream adds a delicate softness and silky feeling that milk doesn’t. This comes down to the fat content in the cream. All around, it just makes for a superior taste. When I have cocktail, I want it to be the best cocktail ever. Don’t take me word for it. Do your own taste comparison at home.
A Cherry on Top
Lastly, I like to add a maraschino cherry. Certainly this is not part of the original recipe, but rather something I added to make it my own. The cherry adds a little extra flavor to the spectrum.
Check out our Magical Marinated Maraschino Cherry recipe to get get your drink to the next level.
White Russian; Shaken, not stirred
There’s more than one way to make a White Russian. I preferred the well blended and frothy version, laid out above. However, you can build this cocktail in your glass. If you don’t have a shaker, this is a great alternative.
If you’re going this route;
- Fill your rocks glass with ice.
- Add the coffee liqueur and vodka.
- Stir to combine.
- Slowly pour over the cream. This will create a graduated effect which does look nice.
You can, of course, stir to combine the cream with the alcohol.
The Dude abides!