Tag: cream

vodka

Chai White Russian | An Effortless 4 Ingredient Fall Cocktail Recipe

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This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.

This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I love chai tea. The spices… the richness… it’s one of my favorite teas to drink. Chai tea also varies wildly from brand to brand or person to person. The best chai tea I’ve ever had was at an Indian restaurant in Xi’an, China. Yep. They also made the best Indian food I’ve ever eaten.

For years I’ve tried to recreate it, but I never can. The taste will just have to live on in my memory. I haven’t made my own in a while, but after making this Chai White Russian last night, I’m inspired to try again. Finding the right black tea is foundational to a good chai recipe. Go ahead and forget trying to find a good one at your local grocery store and opt to look on Amazon or at an Indian grocery store instead. Once I finish my current not-so-great box of black tea, I’m going to be trying this one. I have high hopes for it.

For this recipe, I used a carton of chai concentrate. It’s pretty decent. It’s not my favorite chai recipe but it satisfies my chai craving when it hits. I also don’t hate the fact that it’s incredibly convenient. Just add an equal amount of milk and concentrate then heat it or add ice.

This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.

If you’ve never had a White Russian before, it’s a delicious coffee and cream cocktail. I’m not a big sweet drink drinker… but I love a White Russian in the evening. I’ve long fantasized about making a Chai White Russian and I finally made those dreams come true last night.

If you have bagged chai tea, you can steep some tea and use that instead. Alternatively, you could steep the tea in the vodka and make a Chai White Russian that way. I think they’d all turn out well.

And when it comes to coffee liqueur, you can certainly buy a bottle of Kahlúa. But you can also make your own. If you make your own, you can use your favorite coffee and adjust the amount of sweetness to your liking. Here’s my super easy recipe.

This *might* be my new favorite fall cocktail recipe. I’m still really digging the Autumn In Tuscany but since that one is citrusy, this Chai White Russian definitely wins the Best Sweet Dessert Cocktail Recipe award. If you try it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or comment down below. I’d love to hear what you think!

This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.

Ingredients for a Chai White Russian

How to Make a Chai White Russian

Add a large ice cube to a lowball glass. Pour in the vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai concentrate. Stir to combine.

Chai White Russian

This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 min
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1 oz vodka
  • 1 oz coffee liqueur (see notes for a homemade recipe)
  • 1 oz cream*
  • 1 oz chai tea concentrate

Instructions
 

  • Add a large ice cube to a lowball glass.
  • Pour in the vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai concentrate.
  • Stir to combine.

Notes

Click here to learn how to make your own easy homemade coffee liqueur.
*you can use half & half, heavy cream, or your favorite milk substitute. 
Keyword chai, chai tea, coffee liqueur, cream, cucumber-infused vodka, half and half, white russian
This Chai White Russian is an easy fall cocktail recipe. Only 4 ingredients stand between you and this cozy and caffeinated delight: vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and chai tea.
gin

Ramos Gin Fizz| A Riff on the classic cocktail with Botanical Rum & Cardamom Simple Syrup

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This Ramos Gin Fizz is made with cardamom syrup in lieu of regular simple syrup and swaps the gin for botanical rum. It's a classic cocktail that takes extra time to whip up... but it's well worth it.

Today’s recipe is a variation of the infamous Ramos Gin Fizz. This version is made with botanical rum instead of gin and cardamom simple syrup for a warm, earthy touch. You can’t go wrong with the traditional recipe though. Both versions are creamy and slightly sweet. Try them both and see what you prefer!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

Here’s an unofficial disclosure: this cocktail recipe may be a little difficult to achieve, but it is well worth the effort. The Ramos Gin Fizz is known for being one of the more complicated cocktails to create. The ingredients are very accessible, which is good. A Ramos Gin Fizz just requires a LOT of shaking, special pouring, and a few extra steps. But if you made any cocktail with egg white before (like a classic Whiskey Sour, Gin Campari Sour, or a New York Sour) then you’re ready to tackle this cocktail recipe.

This Ramos Gin Fizz is made with cardamom syrup in lieu of regular simple syrup and swaps the gin for botanical rum. It's a classic cocktail that takes extra time to whip up... but it's well worth it.

The Ramos Gin Fizz has been around for more than 100 years. Yup. 132 years, to be exact. It was created by a guy named Henry Ramos in 1888 in New Orleans, Louisiana. In fact, according to the article that Gin Foundry wrote about this classic cocktail, it was originally dubbed The New Orleans Fizz. The drink was so popular that the bar hired “shaker boys” who would form a line, all taking turns to shake the cocktail shaker.

There are a few different techniques to make this drink. I tried the instructions listed on Difford’s Guide and I also tried the ones in the Gin Foundry article I listed above. They both produced good results. No shaker boys needed.

The traditional Ramos Gin Fizz calls for traditional simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water ratio) but I opted to use some cardamom simple syrup. It’s so easy to make– just through a few spoons of cardamom pods into simple syrup. If you’re unfamiliar with cardamom, it is one of the key flavors in chai tea. It’s got a warm, slightly earthy flavor that’s quite distinctive but not too overpowering.

This classic cocktail is served in a Collins glass or a highball glass in order to showcase the beautiful foam the drink is famous for. Usually, I’d say you can serve your cocktail in whatever glass suits your fancy, but I recommend following tradition here.

This Ramos Gin Fizz is made with cardamom syrup in lieu of regular simple syrup and swaps the gin for botanical rum. It's a classic cocktail that takes extra time to whip up... but it's well worth it.

The Ramos Gin Fizz may be extra work but it’s a classic that every home bartender should try shaking up at least once in their life. If you do try making one of these, tag me on Instagram!

Ingredients for a Ramos Gin Fizz

How to Make a Ramos Gin Fizz

**If you use a metal cocktail shaker** place it in the freezer to chill it or shake some ice cubes in it for a few seconds. This is done to ensure that the metal will contract and form a tight seal for when we do a “dry shake” (shaking without ice) with the ingredients. If you attempt to do a dry shake in a metal cocktail shaker without first chilling it, it’s gonna leak everywhere.

Add all of the ingredients except the club soda to a chilled cocktail shaker. Do not add ice. This is what’s called a “dry shake”. Shake vigorously for as long as you can, 45-60 seconds would be amazing. It still might leak a bit, so you may want to do this over a sink. Add ice and shake again, 45-60 seconds.

Have your empty Collins glass ready. Strain the cocktail shaker into the glass while simultaneously slowly pouring the club soda. Pour from a higher-than-usual distance for optimum foam-age. Stop when the glass is full.

Place the glass into the freezer for 1 minute. The time allows for the foam to start separating from the rest of the drink and the cold temperature helps it stiffen a bit. Take the glass out and slowly pour more club soda into the center of the foam, again from a high distance. The foam should start to rise above the glass. Stop when the foam is about an inch or two above the glass.

Serve with a straw and an optional orange slice or lemon peel.

Ramos Gin Fizz

A classic cocktail made with citrus and cream.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz gin (I used botanical rum for a twist)
  • ½ oz lemon juice
  • ½ oz lime juice
  • ¾ oz simple syrup (I used cardamom simple syrup- here's the easy recipe)
  • ¾ oz half & half or heavy cream
  • 3 drops vanilla extract
  • 3 drops orange blossom water
  • 1 egg white
  • club soda

Instructions
 

  • Add all of the ingredients except the club soda to a chilled cocktail shaker*. Do not add ice. This is what's called a "dry shake". Shake vigorously for as long as you can, 60+ seconds would be amazing. It might leak a bit, so you may want to shake over a sink.
  • Add ice and shake again, 60+ seconds. The more you shake, the denser your foam will be.
  • Have your empty Collins glass ready. Strain the cocktail shaker into the glass while simultaneously slowly pouring the club soda. Pour from a higher-than-usual distance for optimum foam-age. Stop when the glass is full.
  • Place the glass into the freezer for 1 minute. The time allows for the foam to start separating from the rest of the drink and the cold temperature helps it stiffen a bit.
  • Take the glass out and slowly pour more club soda into the center of the foam, again from a high distance. The foam should start to rise above the glass. Stop when the foam is about an inch or two above the glass.
  • Serve with a straw and an optional orange slice or lemon peel.

Notes

*If you use a metal cocktail shaker, place it in the freezer to chill it or shake some ice cubes in it for a few seconds. This is done to ensure that the metal will contract and form a tight seal for when we do a “dry shake” (shaking without ice) with the ingredients. If you attempt to do a dry shake in a metal cocktail shaker without first chilling it, it’s gonna leak everywhere.
Keyword botanical rum, club soda, cream, egg white, half and half, lemon, lemon juice, lime, lime juice, orange blossom water, ramos gin fizz, vanilla extract

vodka

Colorado Bulldog

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A Colorado Bulldog is the perfect cocktail for coffee lovers. It tastes like a melted root beer float and is decant, yet simple.

The Colorado Bulldog is a new-to-me cocktail I’m so excited to share with y’all. I know I posted another dessert cocktail earlier this week, but I’m being honest when I say I’m not *usually* a sweet drink kinda gal. It’s just that I made a double-batch of homemade coffee liqueur so now I need want to use it. I have to be in the right mood for a sweet drink but a coffee-flavored sweet drink almost always sounds nice.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

A Colorado Bulldog is the perfect cocktail for coffee lovers. It tastes like a melted root beer float and is decant, yet simple.

I had never heard of a Colorado Bulldog until my Mother-in-Law told me about them. She’s the one I shared my first White Russian with and she told me about Colorado Bulldogs then. The recipe intrigued me but my husband and I try hard not to keep coke stocked in the fridge. If I’m feeling like a fizzy drink, an unsweetened flavored sparkling water is often enough to satiate that need. But man, sometimes you just need a COKE.

And when I say coke, what I mean is soda. I’m from the south where “coke” means anything from Dr. Pepper to cream soda to Fanta and to, of course, Coca Cola. Speaking of regional words, did you know that SOME people in this blessed country call sprinkles “jimmies”? JIMMIES, for cryin’ out loud! I can’t process that information.

But I digress. The Colorado Bulldog is a sweet sip that’s perfect for after dinner. It honestly tastes like a melted root beer float. Er, a melted Coke float. If you’re looking for a way to use up that Kahlua that’s been hanging out in your bar cart for ages, make yourself a Colorado Bulldog. I think you’ll like it.

The Ingredients

  • 1 oz coffee liqueur (homemade always tastes better!)
  • 1 oz vodka
  • 2 oz Coke
  • 2 oz half and half (the real recipe calls for heavy cream but I always have 1/2 & 1/2 in the fridge)

The How-To

Fill a low-ball glass or a taller, skinny glass (how’s that for bartender lingo) with ice. Pour in the ingredients in the order listed. Coffee liqueur–> vodka–>Coke–>half & half. Pouring the half & half in last keeps the drink from fizzing up too much. If you’ve ever made a rootbeer float, you’ve seen what happens when you add Coke to dairy. Big ol’ pillowy bubbles. Stir together until you get a beautiful café au lait color.

A Colorado Bulldog is the perfect cocktail for coffee lovers. It tastes like a melted root beer float and is decant, yet simple.
vodka

White Russian | A Decadent 3 Ingredient Cocktail

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The White Russian is 90s classic thanks to the Big Lebowski. It's a simple yet decadent 3-ingredient cocktail that tastes like melted coffee ice cream. Make one. Your tastebuds will thank you.

My first time drinking a White Russian was at a casino in Reno, Nevada (which, BTW, is pronounced Nev-AD-a, not Nev-AH-duh… something we learned rather quickly). We had just moved there from Texas the day before and were looking to explore our new town. Like any newcomer would do, we headed straight downtown.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

I honestly can’t remember which casino we went to that night, but I DO remember my mother-in-law ordering us all a round of White Russians. Which, to my astonishment, were not only FREE thanks to us being seated at the Blackjack table, but also DELICIOUS. I’m not usually a sweet drink kinda person but I make an exception for these babies.

The White Russian is 90s classic thanks to the Big Lebowski. It's a simple yet decadent 3-ingredient cocktail that tastes like melted coffee ice cream. Make one. Your tastebuds will thank you.

I’d heard of White Russians from the movie The Big Lebowski but honestly, the thought of vodka and cream made my stomach churn a bit. Wow, though. It tastes like melted ice cream with a touch of coffee flav. The drinks were small (but free) so we kept ordering them. The cocktail waitress thought it was hilarious and even passed on a message from the bartender who informed us that he had not made the drink since the 90s. Maybe together we can bring this drink back into the spotlight a bit.

While you can certainly purchase Kahlua (especially if you want to be true to The Dude), I love making my own coffee liqueur. It’s easy and since you’ll already have the vodka on hand to make this drink, you might as well go the DIY hand-crafted route. There are a lot of different ratios for a White Russian. The most common is a 2:1:1/2 with vodka being dominant. Personally, I enjoy more of a 1:1:1 ratio. Again, though, if you’re wanting to honor The Dude, just eyeball it.

Using coffee ice cubes takes your White Russian game up a notch. The White Russian is 90s classic thanks to the Big Lebowski. It's a simple yet decadent 3-ingredient cocktail that tastes like melted coffee ice cream. Make one. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Instead of plain ol’ ice, I used coffee ice cubes that I had made using leftover coffee. This is honestly a rare thing– but when it happens, I pour whatever’s remaining into an ice mold so that I have it on-hand for cocktails and iced coffee.

Pouring the cream over the back of a bar spoon helps create a layered look in the glass. But since you’re gonna be swirling it all together anyway, it’s not a necessary step. It’s really just a fun way to use that rando bar spoon you bought.

The Ingredients

The How-To

Add ice to a lowball glass. Pour in the vodka and coffee liqueur. Pour the cream over the back of a bar spoon if you want to be unnecessarily fancy or just dump it in. Stir until the color is cohesive. Sit & enjoy & if anyone comes near you, feel free to shout “Careful, man, there’s a beverage here!”

The White Russian is the perfect cocktail for coffee lovers. And with only 3 ingredients, anyone can make it!

Love easy cocktails? Check out these recipes with only 3 ingredients: The Sidecar, an authentic Daiquiri, the infamous Moscow Mule, and my personal go-to the Dark & Stormy.