Black Russian cocktail – a child of the Cool War

“Black Russian” is considered the ancestor of all cocktails that contain coffee. Its pleasant sweetish taste and moderate strength have found admirers all over the world. The availability of ingredients and ease of production make it possible to create this cocktail at home. We will look at its traditional recipe and the most popular options.

Historical reference. The creator of the Black Russian cocktail is considered to be Belgian bartender Gustav Tops. In 1949, he prepared this drink at the Brussels Metropole Hotel for guests of a party hosted by socialite and US Ambassador to Luxembourg Pearl Mesta. The title was not chosen by chance; it symbolized the beginning of the Cool War between the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also the Soviet Union - a state that existed from 1922 to 1991 in Europe and Asia) and the USA (United States of America - a state in North America) .

Composition and proportions:

vodka – 50 ml;
Kahlúa coffee liqueur – 25 ml;
cubed ice – 100 gr.

In the collection of cocktails of the International Bartenders Association (IBA) for “Dark Russian” the remaining proportions are indicated - 5: 2 (5 parts vodka and two parts coffee liqueur). But in practice, the drink comes out tastier if you combine the ingredients in a 2:1 ratio.

1. Fill a small rocks glass with ice cubes.

2. Pour in vodka and liqueur.

3. Stir with a cocktail spoon.

4. Serve with a straw.

Other options:

If you add 25 ml of cream to the composition you will get a “Snow White Russian” cocktail; ladies really like its gentle taste.
To make the drink even more invigorating, vodka and liqueur are combined with espresso coffee, this option is called “Coffee Dark Russian”.
To reduce the strength, the cocktail can be diluted with cola and served in a tall glass.

Attention! A “Black Russian Cocktail” in cans has appeared on sale, which has nothing to do with the unusual recipe. Its composition includes: ethyl alcohol, cognac (unclear), citric acid, dyes and a synthetic flavor reminiscent of the smell of almonds.

The manufacturer used the well-known name to “promote” its own drink, which in composition is closer to energy drinks than to cocktails. It’s hard to say how harmful the canned version is. One thing is clear - its taste is not at all similar to the usual “Black Russian” cocktail, known throughout the world.

Black Russian – cocktail confrontation

The Black Russian cocktail is not just a drink, it is a kind of sign of the era of confrontation between two great powers of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Now it is known even to those who knew about the “Cool War” only from history books.

Historical reference

The drink arose after World War II, during a time of intensifying confrontation between the capitalist and socialist camps. He was born in the Metropole Hotel in Brussels, and received his name specifically in honor of the beginning of the Cool War. It should be noted that this name was given to him by the US embassy (the United States of America is a state in North America) , Pearl Mesta.

Cocktail trait

The “dark Russian” alcoholic cocktail is served in an old fashion glass with ice cubes. It looks beautiful and drinks very nicely.
The taste of the drink is distinctly coffee, sweet, which well softens the roughness of vodka.
It is not drunk in one gulp, unlike shots, and it is not customary to stretch it out - the ice melts and quickly dilutes the catchy taste.
The strength of a freshly prepared drink can vary from 35 to 40 rpm - almost everything depends on the bartender and his personal “tricks”, the chosen material for production. In this it is inferior to the really strong shot B 53.

Cocktail recipe Black Russian at home

Making one at home is not at all difficult. It is important to realize that at first the components were mixed separately - everything was immediately poured into the glass. You don’t need any special equipment either - just a glass similar in characteristics to an old fashion, a bar spoon and cubed ice.

Compound

You don't need any special ingredients to make it. Their ratio may also vary. According to international standards, the ratio of strong alcohol to liqueur is 5 to 2. But most note that the proportion 2:1 is more harmonious. The Dark Russian cocktail includes the following ingredients:

Vodka – 50 grams. It is important to take only a product of the highest quality;
Kahlúa coffee liqueur – 25 grams;
Ice cubes – 100 grams.

By the way, if you add milk cream to this list, you will get the “Snow White Russian” cocktail that appeared a little later. Also based on it there are many lighter compositions like “dirty dark Russian” with cola and lime. But let's return to the main topic.

Manufacturing

To start, take a wide, low Old Fashioned glass (the kind you serve whiskey in).
Put ice in it, pour in vodka and liqueur.
Stir the mixture with a bar spoon. It’s important to create this quite quickly so that the ice begins to dilute the taste of the cocktail. That's it, you can serve.

With its simplicity, “Black Russian” amazed millions of connoisseurs and became the beginning of the modern history of coffee-based consistencies. It is not difficult to prepare, which is why home-grown and professional bartenders often start with it. Happy making and tasting!

Cocktail “Black Russian”

There are not enough cocktails that were invented in Russia. But there is still one that is rightfully considered Russian and even bears the name of the same name - the Black Russian cocktail. It is very simple to make, the ingredients are small. And this drink became famous throughout the world.

History of the cocktail
Cocktail recipe “Black Russian”
Cocktail options
How to serve a cocktail?
Video: making “Dark Russian”

History of the cocktail

Modern bartenders are trying to remake it in a different way, adding new ingredients. That’s why “Black Russian” no longer tastes the same as it did in the beginning.

The cocktail, despite its name, is not entirely of Russian origin. It was invented in 1949 by Gustave Tops, a famous Belgian bartender who worked in the bars of the Metropol.

In those years, there was a cool war going on all over the world. The drink was dubbed “Black Russian” because almost everyone associated it with the Russian Union in the war given to us.

The next mention of this cocktail was much earlier. Actress Gretta Garbo drank this drink in the 1939 movie Ninotchka. At that time, Kahlua coffee liqueur was added to the cocktail.

Cocktail recipe “Black Russian”

Compound:

7/10 vodka;
3/10 coffee liqueur;
crushed ice

Ice in a cocktail is needed to cool and dilute the very cloying taste; there should be a little less than half of it in the glass. Any coffee liqueur will do just fine. Most often they add Kahlua, but you can use Giffard Cafe or Tia Maria. Vodka can be replaced with whiskey or rum.

“Black Russian”, sold in bottles or cans in stores, has a different taste and is quite far from the original. In addition, it contains many chemicals that are harmful to the body.

The proportions indicated in the composition above are taken from the cocktail list of the Bartenders Association. But you can trust your own taste and make changes to the recipe:

50 ml vodka;
25 ml Kahlua coffee liqueur;
maraschino cherry for decoration;
ice cubes.

You can also simplify the alcoholic composition and instead of precious liqueur add a homemade tincture of coffee beans with vodka. The cocktail is served in an ordinary glass, which bartenders also call “old-fashioned” - old fashion.

Manufacturing:

Fill a clean glass 1/3 full with crushed ice.
Pour coffee liqueur into the glass and later add vodka.
You can mix the ingredients with a special bartender's spoon or an ordinary cocktail straw.

Cocktail options

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Over the course of its existence, many modifications of the Dark Russian have arisen.

“Dirty Dark Russian” or “Highest Dark Russian” - adding cola to a traditional recipe.
“Chocolate Dark Russian” - instead of ice, add approximately 150 g of chocolate ice cream, mix the ingredients in a blender, and serve in a champagne glass.
“Soft (Irish) dark Russian” is a combination of coffee liqueur, vodka and dark beer, it is better to take Guinness.
“Greenish Russian” is a combination of vodka and mint liqueur.
“Burning Dark Russian” - in addition to vodka, rum and Baileys liqueur are added to the cocktail.

And if you put whipped cream in a cocktail and mix all the ingredients, you will get another modified version of the drink - “Snow White Russian”.

How to serve a cocktail?

The drink comes out quite strong due to the vodka present in its composition, in other words, it is a digestif. Therefore, it must be served after a heavy meal.

It is better to drink the cocktail in small sips or through a straw to smell the invigorating coffee taste.

Video: making “Dark Russian”

Modern bartenders do not stop there and are constantly trying to modify the “Dark Russian” recipe. The cocktail can include any type of Kahlua liqueur, as well as hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla or espresso. Enjoy your tasting!

Cocktail Black Russian Cocktail Black Russian

Ingredients:

Vodka – 50 ml
Coffee liqueur – 20 ml

Recipe:

Pour lump ice into a rocks glass;
Pour in vodka and coffee liqueur;
Mix carefully with a bar spoon.

Inventory for production:

History of the Black Russian cocktail:

The most popular drink “Black Russian” was first introduced in 1949. Bartender Gustave Top, who worked at the Metropole Hotel (Brussels, Belgium), prepared a cocktail at the request of the US Ambassador living here (the United States of America is a state in North America) , mixing vodka and coffee liqueur. The guest really liked “Black Russian”, and after some time the drink was completely included in the menu of “Metropol”. Gustave gave this name to the cocktail in connection with the rather tense political relations between the Russian Union and the United States at that time.

“Black Russian” can probably be considered the drink that paved the way for the era of so-called “coffee” cocktails. At the end of the 20th century and until now, “Black Russian” has never fallen in popularity. This was facilitated not only by its ease of production, but also by the easy availability of the cocktail components.

Our own twists for the Black Russian cocktail:

Tall Black Russian (Highest Dark Russian) – highball glass is used here instead of rocks glass; vodka and coffee liqueur are poured into cola;
Brown Russian (Brown Russian) - a highball glass is used here instead of a rocks glass; vodka and coffee liqueur are poured into ale;
Smooth Black Russian (Soft dark Russian) - vodka and coffee liqueur are poured with Guinness beer;
Black Magic (Dark Mysticism) – 1 dash of lemon juice is added to a traditional cocktail.

If you have a recipe for your own cocktail, be sure to send it to us. We will place it in our database, and other bartenders from all over the Russian region will find out about it.