Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: Cosmopolitan cocktail drink · All credits
Ingredients
- 40 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Vodka - Citron vodka if you have it
- 20 ml Spoons A tablespoon and a teaspoon. Triple sec
- 30 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a teaspoon. Cranberry juice
- 15 ml Spoons A tablespoon. Lime juice
- 1 slice Orange slice (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
- Shake everything hard with ice.
- Double strain into a chilled coupe.
Method
- Chill a coupe glass in the freezer.
- Shake the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice hard with ice.
- Double strain into the coupe to keep it silky and seed free.
- Flame or drop an orange slice into the drink.
Serve it
Cosmopolitan
A 1930s daisy that found fame in the 1990s, and has been slightly embarrassed about it ever since. Put the fashion to one side and there is a genuinely good drink underneath: tart lime against sweet cranberry, with just enough orange to join the two up. Get that balance right and it is not a novelty at all - it is a very tidy sour.
Getting it right
Fresh lime, always. The bottled sort flattens the whole thing, and this is a drink with nowhere for it to hide. If your orange liqueur is a sweet one rather than a dry triple sec, drop it to 15ml - it is sweeter and louder, and the lime has to lead. Shake it hard with plenty of ice, then strain it twice so no shards get through to water it down, and serve it in a chilled glass. Pass a flame over a strip of orange peel above the surface if you want a smell people remember without quite knowing why.
Tasting notes
Tart and bright, with a bitter cranberry snap and a clean, dry finish. It looks like a party and tastes a good deal more serious than one.
More Vodka cocktails
Bloody Mary
50 ml Vodka, 120 ml Tomato juice, 15 ml Lemon juice, 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce, 2 dashes Tabasco, 1 pinch Celery salt, 1 pinch Black pepper, 1 Celery stick
Espresso Martini
40 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur, 30 ml Espresso, 10 ml Simple syrup, 3 Coffee beans