The Black Russian is a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur.
It contains 50 ml vodka and 20 ml 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.
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 United States Ambassador to Luxembourg.
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.
Black Magic: served with a dash of lemon juice and a lemon twist to garnish.
Irish Russian or Smooth Black Russian: served with a head of Guinness.
Brown Russian: served in a highball glass and topped with ginger ale.
Brando Russian: served with dashes of orange bitters to taste, and a twist of orange peel.
Belarusian or White Russian: served with milk or cream.
Muddy Water or Blind Russian: served with Irish cream.
If you add cream to this, it's called a Mudslide.
Mind Eraser: served with coffee liqueur and sparkling water.
See also
List of cocktails
White Russian
References
