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Friday Cocktail Hour: The White Russian

Published: Jan 9, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 2 Comments

The White Russian cocktail, vodka, Kahlúa and cream, might have been relegated to the fringes of the cocktail world had it not been for the popularity of The Big Lebowski and Jeff Bridges's enormously appealing performance as the ever-abiding Dude, aka Jeff Lebowski, a slacker and avid bowler.

According to the Wiki entry for the cocktail, The White Russian began in 1949 as a Black Russian—Kahlúa and vodka—when vodka was still largely imported from Russia and Eastern Europe and Americans mainly drank whiskey and gin. Vodka began to be produced in the U.S. only after prohibition's appeal. (There's a great book, and story, by Victorino Matus about how vodka took over America; shows the power of marketing.)

And according to a post at thealcoholenthusiast.com, the first reference to a White Russian was in March, 1965, also apparently a marketing device. Southern Comfort was promoting its own coffee liqueur called "Coffee Southern," and included a White Russian in a slew of cocktail suggestions (including a "Southern Grasshopper," equal parts Coffee Southern, creme de menthe, brandy, and cream; or, according to the exact recipe, "fresh" cream—what was up with that in 1965—did they have fake cream along with the fake butter?).

As for the fate of Coffee Southern? Well, clearly, Smirnoff had a better marketing strategy.

But that first recipe called for equal parts vodka, Kahlúa (the Mexican coffee liqueur, which began to be imported to the US around the same time vodka began to be produced, interestingly), and cream. The Kahlúa site still recommends this ratio.

And this is why, I think, it earned its reputation as a cocktail for rubes. It’s more like a dessert than a cocktail in those proportions.

The best proportions, after diligent trial and error, are these: 2 parts vodka, 1 part coffee liqueur, ½ part cream, fresh of course.

I didn’t see The Dude actually measure anything in the movie, but I like to believe, if he tasted this version, he’d smack his lips and say, “I can abide by that.”

Originally recorded 1/1/2021 on Instagram Live

White Russian

A vodka and Kahlúa cocktail
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes mins
Course Cocktail
Cuisine American
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 1 ounce Kahlúa
  • ½ ounce cream (1 tablespoon)
  • ice as needed

Instructions
 

  • Combine the liquids, add ice, and stir.
Keyword kahlua, kahlua cocktail, party cocktail, vodka, vodka cocktail
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TSmith

    July 05, 2021 at 5:19 am

    5 stars
    This ratio really elevates the drink to what feels like a true cocktail. Thanks for sharing! I love this series, which has become my go-to when looking for specific cocktail recipes.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      July 14, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      thanks Travis!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

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Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

See my books!

Ratio App for iPhone

After I wrote my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a colleague and I built a ratio calculator for iPhones that allows you to cook without recipes. For doughs, batters, custards, sauces, stocks and more, simply plug in the amount of one ingredient and the amounts of the other ingredients are instantly calculated. It's also a handy reference for dozens of our most common preparations. ($4.99 in the app store.)

Collaborate

I’ve collaborated on a dozen books, including cookbooks and a memoir. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, please contact my agent, Gail Hochman, [email protected], at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

For speaking engagements contact, Kip Ludwig, [email protected].

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