There’s a time and a place for nuance, but let’s face it — the White Russian has never been about subtlety. It’s equal parts cocktail and comfort food, unapologetically rich, and somehow both kitschy and cool at the same time. Built on the bones of the Black Russian, the White Russian traditionally adds cream or milk to vodka and coffee liqueur, transforming a stiff nightcap into a plush, almost dessert-like indulgence.
It’s not a bartender’s drink in the traditional sense, and maybe that’s why it’s stuck around for so long. Few cocktails are as recognizable and even fewer are as easy to drink. But what happens when you take the White Russian’s formula, approach it with intention, and give it the full craft cocktail treatment? When do you stir? When do you shake? And is it ever OK to break out the blender?
Here to answer those questions and share stories about his bar’s extremely popular iteration of this drink is Scott Kitsmiller, bar manager at Chicago’s Gus’ Sip & Dip. It’s the White Russian, the Black Russian, “The Big Lebowski,” whipped cream, and vanilla beans. And it’s all right here on the “Cocktail College” podcast. Tune in for more.
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Scott Kitsmiller’s White Russian Recipe
Ingredients
Cream
- 8 parts cream to 1 part rich simple syrup (2:1) whipped to a thick, creamy consistency in a Hamilton Beach Blender
Black Russian Mix (batched and refrigerated)
- 1 ounce vodka, such as Ketel One
- 1 ounce coffee liqueur, such as Caffè Borghetti
- ½ ounce rich cold brew coffee
- ¼ ounce rich (2:1) simple syrup infused with Tahitian vanilla beans
Directions
- Pour 4 ounces cream directly into double rocks glass over 3–4 cubes of Kold Draft ice.
- Pour 2 ¾ ounces of Black Russian mix slowly over the cream to layer.
- Serve with a stirring stick.
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