Coffee liqueur compared
White Russian & Black Russian
The White Russian and Black Russian sound like two different drinks, but they're separated by nothing more than a splash of cream. Both emerged in the 20th century, the Black Russian in Brussels, the White Russian a bit later. This section covers the origin, the difference, and the exact recipe for both versions.
The Black Russian: Brussels, 1949
The Black Russian was created in 1949 at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels. According to the story, Belgian bartender Gustave Tops mixed it for Perle Mesta, then US Ambassador to Luxembourg, from just two ingredients: vodka and coffee liqueur. The name plays on vodka as a typically Russian spirit, dark like the coffee liqueur that gives the drink its color.
The drink deliberately does without anything extra. No juice, no cream, no sugar, just two spirits over ice. That makes it strong and fairly sweet at the same time, since coffee liqueur already contains plenty of sugar on its own. As a pure after-dinner drink, it's still served in exactly this simple form in bars around the world today.
The White Russian: cream makes the difference
The only thing separating the Black Russian from the White Russian is a splash of cream or milk floated on top of the dark drink. Exactly when this variation appeared isn't clearly documented, likely sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, when cream-based cocktails were generally popular. At first the cream sits visibly on top of the dark mixture, creating the drink's signature two-toned look, before the layers slowly blend together.
The drink only became truly famous through the 1998 film "The Big Lebowski," in which the main character, "The Dude," drinks White Russians almost constantly. Since then, many consider it a pop-culture classic, even though it existed long before the film. The movie simply brought it back into bars and living rooms.
Both recipes in cl
A Black Russian needs 5 cl vodka and 2 cl coffee liqueur, poured directly over ice cubes into a tumbler and stirred briefly. For a White Russian, add another 3 cl of cream or half-and-half, poured carefully over a bar spoon onto the surface so it floats on top.
If you don't need the layered look, you can stir the White Russian all the way through, giving it a lighter, evenly creamy appearance instead of the two-tone effect. Instead of cream, some bars use condensed milk or plant-based alternatives, which changes the flavor slightly but doesn't affect the basic structure of the drink.
Coffee liqueur: more than just Kahlúa
Most recipes call for Kahlúa from Mexico as the coffee liqueur, since it's historically shaped the drink. It's based on rum, sugar, and coffee extract, and brings noticeable sweetness. Other brands like Tia Maria go for a somewhat drier coffee flavor with less sweetness on the finish.
The coffee liqueur you choose noticeably changes the final result: a sweeter liqueur needs less added sugar overall, while a drier liqueur lets the coffee flavor come through more clearly. Anyone who mixes both drinks regularly will eventually find their own preferred brand, much like with the choice of vodka itself.
Mudslide: the creamy relative
Fans of the White Russian quickly run into the Mudslide, a close relative made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and Irish cream liqueur instead of plain cream. It's often blended with ice as well, making it thick and almost dessert-like in the glass.
The Irish cream liqueur already brings sweetness and a firm creaminess of its own, which makes the Mudslide taste rounder and sweeter than a classic White Russian. Anyone who has mastered the basic technique of both Russians essentially just swaps out one ingredient for the Mudslide, noticeably changing both texture and sweetness.