Black Russian
50 ml Vodka, 20 ml Coffee liqueur
Photo: White Russian - 2015-04-02 (1) by Tsungam · CC BY-SA 4.0 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 300 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 300 ml line. Vodka
- 150 ml Jigger Three large sides (3 x 50 ml) of a standard jigger. Coffee liqueur
- 150 ml Jigger Three large sides (3 x 50 ml) of a standard jigger. Double cream - Or single cream if you prefer it lighter
- 6 gratings Nutmeg (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
- Build the vodka and coffee liqueur over ice.
- Float the cream on top and grate nutmeg over it.
Method
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 600 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.
- Fill a rocks glass with ice.
- Pour in the vodka and the coffee liqueur and stir briefly.
- Float the cream over the back of a spoon so it sits in a layer on top.
- Grate a little nutmeg over the cream and serve with a stirrer.
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.
White Russian
A Black Russian with cream floated on top, and the layering is the whole point: stir it yourself and watch it turn the colour of milky coffee. It behaves like a pudding and asks nothing of you at all, which is exactly what some evenings require.
Getting it right
Pour the cream very slowly over the back of a spoon held just above the coffee liqueur, so it sits in a thick pale layer instead of plunging straight through. Use double cream rather than milk, and chill it first - cold cream floats far better than warm cream. Build the drink over a little ice so the layers keep their shape, and then do not stir it: drink it as it is, and let the last mouthful be different from the first.
Tasting notes
Sweet coffee and vanilla underneath a cool, rich cap of cream. Definitely a pudding, and definitely worth the extra two minutes.
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