Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: Bloody Mary Coctail with celery stalk - Evan Swigart by Evan Swigart from Chicago, USA · CC BY 2.0 · All credits
Ingredients
- 50 ml Jigger The large side of a standard jigger, filled to the top: 50 ml, with 25 ml on the other side. Vodka
- 120 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 120 ml line. Tomato juice
- 15 ml Spoons A tablespoon. Lemon juice
- 3 dashes Bottle Three quick shakes of the bottle - each a few drops, about a millilitre. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dashes Bottle Two quick shakes of the bottle - each a few drops, about a millilitre. Tabasco
- 1 pinch Spoons A pinch taken between finger and thumb - about a quarter of a teaspoon. Celery salt
- 1 pinch Spoons A pinch taken between finger and thumb - about a quarter of a teaspoon. Black pepper
- 1 stick Celery stick (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Roll everything between two tins with ice.
- Pour into a highball and add a celery stick.
Method
- Add all of the ingredients except the garnish to a shaker.
- Roll the drink - pour it back and forth between two tins - rather than shaking it.
- Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.
- Add the celery stick, and a pinch more celery salt over the top.
Serve it
Bloody Mary
The only cocktail that happily doubles as breakfast, and the only one where strong opinions about hot sauce are entirely reasonable. Born in Paris in the 1920s and polished in New York hotel bars ever since, it is really a very good soup with vodka in it - which is exactly why it works on a slow Sunday morning.
Getting it right
Roll it rather than shake it: pouring the drink back and forth between two tins, or stirring it hard, keeps the tomato silky, where a shaker whips air into it and leaves you with foam and a pink moustache. Taste before you pour, too. Tomato juice varies wildly from carton to carton, so adjust the lemon and the heat to the glass in front of you, and be braver with salt and black pepper than you think you should be. A stick of celery is traditional; a pickled thing is better.
Tasting notes
Deep, savoury and peppery, with a clean citrus lift and a long warm finish. Serve it cold, eat the garnish, and treat the rest of the morning as optional.
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