White Russian (cocktail)

History

The traditional cocktail known as a black Russian, which first appeared in 1949, becomes a white Russian with the addition of cream. Neither drink has any known Russian origin; both are so-named as vodka is the primary ingredient. It is unclear which drink preceded the other.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first mention of white Russian in the sense of a cocktail was in the Californian newspaper Oakland Tribune on November 21, 1965, as an insert: "White Russian. 1 oz. each Southern, vodka, cream". "Southern" was Coffee Southern, a short-lived brand of coffee liqueur by Southern Comfort.

The white Russian saw a surge in popularity after the 1998 release of the film The Big Lebowski. Throughout the movie, it appears as the beverage of choice for the protagonist, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. On a number of occasions he refers to the drink as a "Caucasian".

Preparation

As with all cocktails, various modes of preparation exist, varying according to the recipes and styles of particular bars or mixologists. Most common varieties have adjusted amounts of vodka or coffee liqueur, or mixed brands of coffee liqueur. Shaking the cream in order to thicken it prior to pouring it over the drink is also common. Sometimes the drink is prepared on the stove with hot coffee for a warm treat on cold days. Conversely, vanilla ice cream has been known to be used, rather than cream, to make it frozen.

Variations

Many variants of the cocktail exist, such as a mudslide, Bolshevik, or blonde Russian (made with Irish cream), an Anna Kournikova (named after the tennis player, made with skimmed milk, i.e. a "skinny" white Russian), a white Cuban (made with rum instead of vodka), a black Russian (vodka and coffee liqueur), or a dirty Russian (with chocolate syrup added). A Colorado bulldog or tall black Russian adds a splash of cola. A white Mexican substitutes tequila for vodka.

References

References

1. Sicard, Cheri. (August 6, 2007). "Featured Cocktails – Black Russian and White Russian". FabulousFoods.com.
2. "10 Famous Cocktails and Where They Were Born". bootsnall.com.
3. "June 2007 Update : Oxford English Dictionary". oed.com.
4. (August 10, 2012). "The History of the White Russian". NicoleDigiose.com.
5. (June 2007). "White Russian, n. and a.".
6. (May 11, 2011). "An Enthusiast's Guide to Cocktails: the White Russian". The Alcohol Enthusiast.
7. Boardman, Madeline. (2013-03-06). "Jeff Dowd, Real 'Big Lebowski' Dude, Talks White Russians, Jeff Bridges And Bowling". The Huffington Post.
8. Kurutz, Steven. (2 December 2008). "White Russians Arise, This Time at a Bowling Alley". The New York Times.
9. (2018-06-12). "Nostalgic Frozen Kahlúa White Russian Cocktail & Holiday Entertaining Tips".
10. (2015-07-10). "Frozen White Russians!".
11. "Vodka Drinks We Love: The Black Russian".
12. Bingo Barnes. (November 1, 2006). "The Snows of Revolution". The Boise Weekly.
13. (2006). "White Russian". Conan's Pub.
14. "Colorado Bulldog".
15. "White Mexican".