The White Russian – A Classic Cocktail from the Very Cold East…

The White Russian, as it appears, is synonymous with well-to-do folks drinking at high-end soirees. Seen in movies such as: ‘How to lose friends and alienate people’, ‘the big lebowski’ and many others, the white Russian often comes across as a cool drink that upper-class/cool people tend to order.

This cocktail is a relatively famous thanks to Hollywood; like the Martini, it is only known as well as it is because of its movie tie-ins. Now i concede that the Martini would arguably be well just as mainstream without 007, but the white Russian, however, is a bit of an oddity and as such it may possibly have been overlooked by many…

The recipe explains this more than I ever could in words:

Classic White Russian recipe:

1 measure Vodka

1 measure coffee liqueur

2 measures Fresh Semi-Skimmed (2% fat) Milk.

This recipe straight away screams a warning: mixing milk and alcohol?! – But try it out and you’ll be suprisingly impressed! It’s sweet, creamy and delicious, a cocktail with something special going for it: it’s different.

Before mixing, a White Russian certainly looks different, and once mixed its the flavours that mix with the milk that create something a little special…

The combination of cream and vodka, reminds one of a nice mellow alcoholic milkshake brand; Mudslides (Mudslides here in the UK were very popular once upon a time). And when you mix in the coffee liqueur you get an alcoholic café-latte-type drink, that will be pleasant for those not use to strong alcoholic cocktails.

This cocktail is forever a classic, one you will hear of at least once in your life and if that time is now, then I suggest that you try it whenever you next get the chance. The flavour of this cocktail will reward your wise choice ten-fold.

Give the recipe above a try, and if you are finding it a little difficult to get right take a look below for some tips:

Tips when making The White Russian cocktail at home:

–          Don’t restrict yourself to milk. Try single cream, double cream, or combinations of the three (single cream and milk works particularly well)…

–          I tend to stick to semi-skimmed milk (2% fat) but again try things for yourselves and find your preferred recipe (although try to keep away from skimmed (0.1%) milk, or the 1% (orange top) milk some supermarkets are selling now…

–            Try different Coffee Liqueurs. I always use quality where I can, but sometimes a small budget dictates a compromise. Here in the UK some supermarkets have their preferred ‘discount brands’, of liqueurs like Coffee, Limoncello and even Amaretto. Try some out. I prefer Kahlua out of all the brands I’ve tried but it is expensive at £15-20.

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