Black Russian Cocktail Recipe
Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice. Two ingredients, no dilution to speak of, and darker than it looks.
- Category: Contemporary Classics
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 25%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Vodka50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Coffee liqueur20 ml (0.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes.
- Pour in the vodka and coffee liqueur.
- Stir gently.
Garnish
None
What it tastes like
The sweetness is pronounced, there is roasted coffee in it and it hits hard.
The technique
Stirring. All-spirit drinks are stirred — shaking whips air into them and ruins both the clarity and the texture. Thirty to forty seconds in a mixing glass, the spoon tracing the wall. You are after the same ~20% dilution, just slower and under control.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Coffee liqueur
- Coffee liqueur. It is not a stand-in for coffee — it is very sweet and low in caffeine; in drinks with espresso the two are used together, not instead of each other.
The Story
Mixed in 1949 at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels for the American ambassador to Luxembourg — Russian only by way of the vodka.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Black Russian mixed?
- It is stirred and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Black Russian?
- Roughly 25% ABV as served — a spirit-strength drink — sipped slowly, and it wants a glass of water beside it.
- Can a Black Russian be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Black Russian hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
The main ingredient here is also a dream symbol: Coffee in a dream
759 recipes in your pocket
Cocktails and mocktails from 55 countries — ingredients, steps and the story behind each drink. Works offline too.
Similar recipes
Collections
Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.