White Russian (cocktail)
Template:Short description Template:Infobox cocktail 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.
History
[edit]The traditional cocktail known as a black Russian, which first appeared in 1949, becomes a white Russian with the addition of cream. Neither drink has any known Russian origin, but both are so-named due to vodka being the primary ingredient. It is unclear which drink preceded the other.<ref name="sicard">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Oxford English Dictionary<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> refers to the first mention of white Russian in the sense of a cocktail as appearing in California's Oakland Tribune on November 21, 1965.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was placed in the newspaper as an insert: "White Russian. 1 oz. each Southern, vodka, cream",<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> with "Southern" referring to Coffee Southern, a short-lived brand of coffee liqueur by Southern Comfort.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The white Russian saw a surge in popularity after the 1998 release of the film The Big Lebowski. Throughout the movie, it appears as the beverage of choice for the protagonist, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski.<ref name="HuffPostDowd">Template:Cite news</ref> On a number of occasions he refers to the drink as a "Caucasian".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Preparation
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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. Sometimes the drink is prepared on the stove with hot coffee for a warm treat on cold days. Conversely, vanilla ice cream has been known to be used, rather than cream, to make it frozen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Variations
[edit]Many variants of the cocktail exist, such as a mudslide, Bolshevik, or blonde Russian (made with Irish cream), an Anna Kournikova (named after the tennis player, made with skimmed milk, i.e. a "skinny" white Russian), a white Cuban (made with rum instead of vodka), a black Russian (vodka and coffee liqueur), or a dirty Russian (with chocolate syrup added).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Barnes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Colorado bulldog or tall black Russian adds a splash of cola.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Barnes"/> A white Mexican substitutes tequila for vodka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>