Black Russian

Black Russian

IBA Official Cocktail
A Black Russian cocktail
Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Vodka
Served	On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard drinkware	Old Fashioned glass
IBA specified ingredients*	50ml (5 parts) Vodka 20ml (2 parts) Coffee liqueur
Preparation	Pour the ingredients into the old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Stir gently.
* Black Russian recipe at International Bartenders Association

The Black Russian is a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur. It contains either three parts vodka and two parts coffee liqueur, per the Kahlúa bottle's label, or five parts vodka to two parts coffee liqueur, per IBA specified ingredients. Traditionally the drink is made by pouring the vodka over ice cubes or cracked ice in an old-fashioned glass, followed by the coffee liqueur.^[1]

This combination first appeared in 1949, and is ascribed to Gustave Tops, a Belgian barman, who created it at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in honor of Perle Mesta, then U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.^[2] The cocktail owes its name to the use of vodka, a typical Russian spirit, and the blackness of the coffee liqueur.

Variations

• Dirty Black Russian, Tall Black Russian, Australian Black Russian or Colorado Bulldog: served in a highball glass and topped up with Cola.^[3]
• Black Magic: served with a dash of lemon juice and a lemon twist to garnish.^[4]
• Irish Russian or Smooth Black Russian: served with a head of Guinness stout. ^[2][5]
• Brown Russian: served in a highball glass and topped with Ginger Ale.^[6]
• Peri's Black Russian: served in a high ball glass with vanilla vodka rather than plain, topped with coke
• Vader: served with Jägermeister.
• California Russian: served with a shot of Triple Sec and a slice of orange.

See also

• White Russian, which adds a dairy ingredient (cream or milk) to the drink

References