Black Russian
Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice. Two ingredients, dark and strong.
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2.5 UK units
How to make a Black Russian
- Fill the glass with ice. Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes, until it is full to the rim.
- Pour the vodka and liqueur. Pour in the vodka, then the coffee liqueur.
- Stir briefly. Stir with a bar spoon for about 10 seconds, until the glass feels cold and the two layers are mixed into one dark colour.
- Serve. Add a twist of orange peel if you like. Drink it slowly.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- None, or a twist of orange peelOr: Three coffee beans on top.
What you need to make a Black Russian
Bottles we'd use
- A good coffee liqueurMr Black is dry and strongly coffee-flavoured; Kahlúa is sweeter and easier to find.Find it on Amazon
- A clean vodkaSmirnoff or Absolut are all you need.Find it on Amazon
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Black Russian variations and swaps
Float 25 ml of single cream on top and you have a White Russian. Add a splash of cola to that and it becomes a Colorado Bulldog. Swap the vodka for 50 ml of tequila and you have a Brave Bull. For a dairy-free White Russian, use 25 ml of oat drink in place of the cream. For a longer, lighter drink, pour it over ice in a highball and top with 60 ml of cola.
The Black Russian story
The usual account credits Gustave Tops, a barman at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, who made it in 1949 for Perle Mesta, the American ambassador to Luxembourg. It is a short drink with no mixer, and the name probably comes from the vodka and the colour.
It is a simple two-ingredient drink, so go easy on the ice and stir it only until it is cold. A 2 to 1 ratio of vodka to liqueur is a good start. Make it drier with more vodka, or sweeter with a little more coffee liqueur. Add cream and you have a White Russian.
Black Russian: your questions answered
What is in a Black Russian?
A Black Russian is made with 50 ml vodka and 25 ml coffee liqueur. Garnish: none, or a twist of orange peel.
How strong is a Black Russian?
Made to this recipe, a Black Russian contains about 2.5 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Black Russian in?
Serve a Black Russian in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? Any short tumbler.
