Sure, some bartenders may scoff at you as they search for the milk behind the bar, but that’s because they’re a) snobs, and b) misinformed. First off, White Russians are delicious and awesome. Second, a true White Russian is made with heavy cream or half-and-half.
White Russian Recipe
- 2 ounces of vodka
- 1 ounce of Kahlúa (any coffee liqueur will do, but Kahlúa is standard)
- 1 ounce heavy cream or half-and-half. Milk will do in a pinch.
Mix it all over cracked ice, and strain into a highball glass. Also, most if not every bar will serve this drink to you on the rocks. That's a mistake. Do you drink milk with ice? Heck no. The ice melts and you get a watered-down mess, especially if the bar uses milk instead of cream. Then you might as well be drinking skim milk with a dash of Kahlúa.
The reason the White Russian is such a great little number is because it's a great drink for people who don't drink a lot and a great drink for people who drink too much. Despite its taste and appearance, the White Russian packs a wallop. There's a lot of alcohol in there, but no bad taste whatsoever. So if you don't drink regularly, you can still get loaded without all the hassle and facial contortions you'd get from, say, a Manhattan. If you drink too much, a White Russian is a fine tasting change of pace, full of that precious alcohol you're so dependent on, but with a rich creamy taste. It's like a drunk trip back to a more innocent time, where you sat outside and drank milkshakes and rode your bike. But whether you're just dabbling with spirits or are a hardcore drinker, two or three White Russians is probably the limit before you start to feel sick.
History
The White Russian was one of the first popular Vodka drinks concocted in the 1930s, when vodka was just beginning its invasion of the West. Its progenitor was a drink called a Russian, made with vodka, gin, and crème de cacao. Cream added to the mix made it a Barbara, a name later toughed up to Russian Bear. When the "Bear" was dropped, we were left with two types of "Russians." So one was named a Black Russian, made without the cream. That one's not so good. The other, of course, is the White Russian. We love her.
Considerations besides deliciousness
The White Russian also makes a fine conversation piece. You can always strike up a conversation with someone you see ordering a White Russian. It's sort of an "us vs. them" kind of thing. We, the White Russian aficionados, against those fools choking back their unsavory swill. Everyone laughs at White Russians, but most everyone actually enjoys them. People are just afraid to order them. So despite what bartenders, girls, and your friends will tell you, it takes a real man to drink a White Russian. Lastly, it would rorally irresponsible to write about White Russians and not mention The Big Lebowski. That film lends a whole world of cool to the White Russian, as it is the preferred drink of The Dude, who consumes almost nothing but "Caucasians," as he calls them, throughout the film. A sloppy, sloppy man, in a robe, wearing bowling shoes, throwing back the White Russians. As we all know, it doesn't get much cooler than that.
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