A White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur (e.g., Kahlúa or Tia Maria), and cream served with ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Often milk will be used as an alternative to cream.
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 is Russian in origin, but both are so named due to vodka being the primary ingredient. It is unclear which drink preceded the other.
The Oxford English Dictionary refers to the first mention of the word "White Russian" in the sense of a cocktail as appearing in California's Oakland Tribune on November 21, 1965. It was placed in the newspaper as an insert: "White Russian. 1 oz. each Southern, vodka, cream", with "Southern" referring to Coffee Southern, a short-lived brand of coffee liqueur by Southern Comfort.
Though long regarded as a boring and unsophisticated drink, the White Russian saw a surge in popularity after the 1998 release of the film The Big Lebowski, throughout which it appears as the protagonist's beverage of choice. Literary critic Craig Owens has examined the drink's role in the film, observing that its name and casual preparation reflect the protagonist's New Left politics and his castrated masculinity.
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.
Variations
Many variants of the cocktail exist, both localised and widely known, such as a White Canadian (made with goat's milk), an Anna Kournikova (named after the tennis player, made with skimmed milk, i.e. a "skinny, low-fat" White Russian), a White Cuban (made with rum instead of vodka), or a Dirty Russian (made with chocolate milk instead of cream).
See also
- List of cocktails
- Black Russian
- List of coffee beverages
References
Further reading
- Steven Kurutz (December 2, 2008). "White Russians Arise, This Time at a Bowling Alley". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2011.Â
- The Dudely Lama (June 14, 2009). "The White Russian Revolution". The Dudespaper. Retrieved July 16, 2012.Â
