White Russian - How to Make the Drink 2 Ways and the History Behind it

Here’s two ways on how to make the White Russian cocktail, one like The Big Lebowski and one like The Dude, both with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream, just prepared differently. This video is sponsored by ‪@MrBlackSpirits‬ Order some Mr. Black from their site (US & UK only) and use the promo code below for 10% off (expires 2022). Order Here: https://bit.ly/3q8hp9G Promo Code: DISTINGUISHED10 Links to Mr. Black Website: https://bit.ly/3q8hp9G Youtube:    / mrblackspirits   Instagram:   / mrblackspirits   The White Russian is one of the more famous drinks. And like a lot of famous drinks, it's authorship isn't crystal clear. There were certainly a lot of precursor drinks and a lot of factors that made it a household name, but at a certain point, the trail runs cold. And considering that it's only three ingredients and has a familiar chocolate-milk-like flavor, it seems like it's creation would be inevitable. Which might be true when you consider drinks like the White Russian Bear or Alexander the Great that come pretty close, but this iteration with this name became famous by coffee liqueur and vodka brands promoting it in the late 60's/early 70's. Before that, there were a handful of drinks that seem to have influenced it, some well-known, some obscure. One family of precursors was the Alexander, made with gin, creme de cacao and cream, where you’d swap gin and cacao for vodka and coffee liqueur. The other precursor family was the Russian and the Black Russian, where you’d build upon the past by adding cream. Southern Comfort’s 1960’s foray into coffee liqueur seems to be the earliest mention of the White Russian. They pushed it in their ads through the rest of the 60’s. Then in the 70’s, Smirnoff picked up the banner and promoted the White Russian. And finally Kahlua followed suit and it became one of Kahlua's favorite drinks to push from the 70's through the 90's. In the early 90's, the White Russian was one of the most popular drinks in America, and it remained that way through the decade. It was given new life and introduced to a new generation in the early to mid 2000's by The Big Lebowski. Even though the film was released in 1998, it wasn't until the 2000's that it connected with audiences and really became a dorm-room-cult-classic. Now that The Dude and all his bowling buddies have become ubiquitous in pop culture, the drink too has been enshrined in the culture. I suspect that it was included in the movie like most things with the character of Jeff Lebowski, as a funny character detail, a bit of irony that makes him all the funnier, but with the film's ravenous cult status, the drink developed a more unironic appeal for the film's fan base. As for making the drink, the 3:2:3 measurements for The Dude’s version is, in my opinion, the best ratio for that classic version of the drink...assuming you’re taking the time to measure it and not just free-pouring. The lightly whipped cream float served up was a startling improvement on the classic. The incredible textural differential of sipping the boozy coffee through the thick cream really makes a difference. If you haven’t tried it, you might be surprised how exciting it is. Give it a go. Let me know what you think. Cheers! Special thanks to Martin Doudoroff for research help and for Erick Castro for recipe help. Martin Doudoroff https://bit.ly/3daPNxq Erick Castro https://bit.ly/3mFZB5T The Dude Recipe: 1.5 oz (45 ml) Vodka 1 oz (30 ml) Coffee Liqueur 1.5 oz (45 ml) Half and Half Add to a rocks glass with ice and stir. The Millionaire Recipe: 1.5 oz (45 ml) Vodka 1 oz (30 ml) Coffee Liqueur 1.5 oz (45 ml) lightly whipped Heavy Cream or Unsweetened Coconut Cream Lightly whip heavy cream or coconut cream until thick, but not forming peaks. Stir vodka and coffee liqueur with ice. Strain into coupe glass. Slowly float cream on top. Sip the drink through the cream. Music: Rain Quail by Dust Follows Shimmy by Moins Le Quartet Badlands by Walt Adams What I Would Do (Instrumental Version) by Victor Lundberg via Epidemic Sound Kiss Me Deadly by Foxy Basey via JinglePunks Support this channel here:   / distinguishedspirits   Check out my podcast: http://bit.ly/grindhousepod Featured in this Episode: Black Cow Vodka https://bit.ly/3wXYCTo Drillaud Creme de Cacao Blanc https://bit.ly/3dQVgbO Shelf Stable Whipping Cream https://amzn.to/3a4bJbM Unsweetened Coconut Cream https://amzn.to/323wMa5 Bar Tools: Godinger Dublin Double Old Fashioned Glass http://amzn.to/1FT6LJU Leopold Jigger https://amzn.to/2EOniBv Muddler Barspoon http://bit.ly/2UAeHiy Mixing Glass http://amzn.to/2lilEC5 DeLonghi Milk Frothing Pitcher https://amzn.to/2PMGJpV Electric Hand Mixer https://amzn.to/3tarjtV #mrblackspirits, #coffeecocktails, #whiterussian