White Russian | A Decadent 3 Ingredient Cocktail

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.

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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.

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.

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

• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz coffee liqueur
• 1 oz heavy cream or half & half

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!”

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.