Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: Cosmopolitan cocktail drink · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 240 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 240 ml line. Vodka - Citron vodka if you have it
- 120 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 120 ml line. Triple sec
- 180 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 180 ml line. Cranberry juice
- 90 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) and one small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Lime juice
- 6 slices 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
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 630 ml of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- 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
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
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 90ml - 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