The black Russian is a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...

and

coffee liqueur Liqueurs are alcoholic beverages that are bottled with added sugar and have added flavours that are usually derived from fruits, herbs, or nuts. Liqueurs are distinct from eaux-de-vie, fruit brandy, and flavored liquors, which contain no add ...

. It contains 50 ml vodka and 20 ml coffee liqueur, per IBA specified ingredients. The drink is made by pouring the vodka and coffee liqueur over

ice cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

s or cracked ice in an old-fashioned glass and stirring. The black Russian is often garnished with a lemon slice and a Luxardo maraschino cherry on a stick.

History

The black Russian cocktail first appeared in 1949 and is ascribed to Gustave Tops, a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

barman, who created it at the Hotel Metropole in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in honor of

Perle Mesta Perle Reid Mesta (born Pearl Skirvin; October 12, 1889March 16, 1975) was an American socialite, political hostess, and United States ambassador to Luxembourg (1949–53). Mesta was known for her lavish parties for Washington, D.C., society. At ...

, then

United States Ambassador to Luxembourg The United States Ambassador to Luxembourg oversees the U.S. Embassy in that country. They supervise the embassy staff in the conduct of diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and coordination of the activities of U.S. Governmen ...

. 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 A highball is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of an alcoholic base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer, often a carbonated beverage. Examples include the Seven and Seven, Scotch and soda, gin and tonic, screwdriver (a.k.a ...

glass and topped up with

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

. * Black magic: served with a dash of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

juice and a

lemon twist A twist is a piece of citrus zest used as a cocktail garnish, generally for decoration and to add flavor when added to a mixed drink. There are a variety of ways of making and using twists. Twists are typically cut from a whole fresh fruit with ...

to garnish. * Irish Russian or smooth black Russian: served with a head of

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ov ...

. * Brown Russian: served in a

highball glass A highball glass is a glass tumbler that can contain . It is used to serve highball cocktails and other mixed drinks. An example size is diameter by in height. A highball glass is taller than an Old Fashioned glass (lowball), and shorter and ...

and topped with

ginger ale Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph ...

. * Belarusian or white Russian: served with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. * Muddy water or blind Russian: served with Irish cream. * Mudslide: served with Irish cream, either fresh cream or ice cream, with or without chocolate sauce rim. * Mind eraser: topped up with sparkling water.

References

Cocktails with vodka Cocktails with coffee liqueur Coffee culture Coffee drinks Alcoholic coffee drinks Two-ingredient cocktails {{cocktail-stub

History

Variations

See also

References