how to make a white russian cocktail

The White Russian is a very easy drink to make. Made famous by The Dude in The Big Lebowski, it is a sweet cocktail which could be served as a dessert drink. There are numerous recipes and variations of the drink as it is quite possible to vary the proportions of the ingredients to suit the taste.

The drink is a layered drink, which means the ingredients are layered in the glass rather than shaken as with other cocktails. You layer the cream over the Vodka and Kahlua so that it has the distinctive look of the traditional White Russian and the definite contrast of the colors. You should either an old fashioned glass or a short ball to server the drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 shot of Vodka
  • 1 shot of Kahlua (or a coffee liqueur like Tia Maria)
  • 2 shots of cream
  • Ice Cubes
  • An Old Fashioned Glass (preferably chilled)

Preparation

  1. Pour a shot of Vodka into an Old Fashioned glass
  2. Add a shot of Kahlua into the glass
  3. Stir the contents till they are evenly mixed
  4. Now slowly add ice cubes to the glass (with room for cream)
  5. Top it off with the cream slowly (almost 2 shots of cream)
White Russian with Kahlua

Tips

  • I prefer to stir/mix the Vodka and Kahlua first., prior to adding the ice cubes so that it is not diluted much by the melting ice.
  • Even though i prefer equal proportions of the Vodka and Kahlua, you can vary it taste. Increasing the proportion of Vodka will make the White Russian a little bit lighter and stronger, while a higher amount of Kahlua will make it sweeter and more appropriate as a dessert drink.
  • You may use heavy cream, whipped cream or half-and-half instead of the light cream.
  • Pour the cream very slowly over a floating ice cubes if you like the layering of the cream and the Kahlua. I prefer the layering but it can also be blended and served without ice.

Variations

White Canadian: Use Goat’s milk instead of the light cream
White Cuban: Use Rum instead of Vodka. Probably should use Havana Club Añejo Blanco if you like it to be “real Cuban”.
White American : Use Whiskey as the base spirit instead of Vodka
White Mafia : Use Frangelico instead of Kahlua
Black Russian : The same drink but made without any type of cream or dairy.
Dirty Black Russian: The drink does not have any cream but is substituted with Coke.

Notes

  • I have assumed that one shot equals about 1.5 oz. Your shot glass may be different, like 2 oz but it probably does not matter as much.
  • By the quantities specified in this recipe, one serving of the White Russian should have about 480 calories. You can reduce the calories by using skim milk instead of the cream, apparently it is then called Anna Kournikova, but then texture and taste is going to be quite different.