Easy
Creamy & Sweet
2 Minutes
Rocks Glass
Ingredients
The White Russian is a classic vodka cocktail and the natural evolution of the Black Russian – the same vodka and coffee liqueur foundation, with one indulgent addition: cream.
Made with Absolut Vodka, Kahlúa and cream, built directly in a rocks glass over ice – rich, smooth and coffee-forward with a creamy finish that makes it one of the most popular after-dinner cocktails around.
HOW TO MAKE A WHITE RUSSIAN COCKTAIL
Bar tools you’ll need
Jigger
Bar Spoon
How to Mix
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Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes.
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Use a jigger to measure and pour in Absolut Vodka, followed by Kahlúa.
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Use the jigger again to measure Cream, then pour the Cream over the back of a bar spoon and into the glass to layer your drink.
All about the White Russian
The White Russian is a rich, sweet, and creamy vodka cocktail made with vodka, Kahlúa, and heavy cream. Simple as that. Some bartenders have started swapping the cream for milk in recent years, creating a lighter take on the classic.
It’s also the sister cocktail to the Black Russian but the layer of cream on top makes it silkier and more opulent.
The White Russian tastes rich and creamy, with sweet, nutty notes of coffee coming through from the Kahlúa. When stirred, it looks and tastes like a spirited coffee milkshake.
The White Russian dates back to the 1960s, born from a simple twist on the Black Russian – add cream to vodka and coffee liqueur, and you have a richer, silkier drink with a whole new identity.
It gained popularity as a creamy, indulgent after-dinner cocktail over the decades. Then in the 1990s, a prominent feature in a cult classic film introduced it to an entirely new generation of drinkers.
Today it remains a bar staple, cherished for its creamy texture and balanced sweetness.
- Make it creamy:
Want to take your White Russian above anyone else’s? Shake the cream lightly before adding it – that fluffy, almost whipped consistency makes all the difference. Pour it over the back of a spoon for a beautiful layered look that’ll turn every head. - Build over fresh ice and stir gently
Add vodka and coffee liqueur to a rocks glass filled with fresh ice, float the cream on top, and give it a gentle stir. You want the drink to marble, not turn into a fully blended milkshake. - Chill everything first
Keep your vodka, coffee liqueur, and even the glass chilled. A colder White Russian tastes smoother and stops the ice from melting too fast and watering down the drink. - Stir it or layer it – your call
Some people like to stir their White Russian with a bar spoon to blend the colors, others prefer to leave it layered. Either way, no cocktail shaker needed.
- Dairy-Free White Russian
If you don’t do dairy, the recipe above works perfectly well with dairy-alternatives. We usually reach for unsweetened cashew milk, but experiment with different options – soy milk, almond milk, oat milk – to find whatever works best for you. - Dirty White Mother
This cocktail is essential a White Russian made with cognac instead of vodka. Bold, rich and sophisticated, it’s a must-try. Discover the recipe for a Dirty White Mother. - Black Russian
Leave out the cream (or the milk) out of your White Russian and you’ve got a Black Russian. A bold and straightforward cocktail, boasting the rich, unmistakable flavors of Kahlúa and vodka. Check out our recipe for a Black Russian. - Dirty Black Russian
Once again leaving out the cream but this time adding Cola instead and you’ve got a Dirty Black Russian cocktail. Infusing the rich coffee flavors of Kahlúa and the smoothness vodka, the sweet and fizzy flavors of cola elevate the Black Russian to new heights. - Try different coffee liqueurs
While Kahlúa is our coffee liqueur of choice for a White Russian, trying other coffee liqueurs can give the drink a different coffee profile.Although all coffee liqueurs are made with alcohol, coffee, and sweetener, they vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some are more syrupy, while others are drier. Some are made with single-estate coffee, while others use a blend. Try a few and see what you like best.
- Glassware
Serve the White Russian in a rocks glass or old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. - Garnish
The White Russian isn’t typically garnished and it doesn’t need to be. But if you want to dress it up, grated nutmeg, a cinnamon stick, chocolate shavings, or a dusting of cocoa powder all work beautifully.
White Russian FAQ
Despite the name or any story you might’ve heard, the White Russian was not invented in Russia. It was, in fact, invented in Brussels, Belgium at the end of the 1940s.
The only difference between a White Russian and a Black Russian is the cream: a White Russian adds cream to the same vodka and Kahlúa base, while a Black Russian is served without any cream or dairy.
Serve a White Russian in a rocks glass. However, if you swap the cream for milk you’ll get a lighter cocktail, which we think works better in a highball glass than a traditional rocks glass. Learn more about the different types of cocktail glasses here.
Yes, you can use different coffee liqueurs to make a White Russian.
In our White Russian recipe, we use Kahlúa, which has a vanilla-and-roasted-coffee sweetness that defines the classic White Russian. However, any coffee liqueur will work, but each one shifts the balance: a drier, more espresso-forward liqueur pulls the drink toward a more bitter, sharper profile, while a sweeter one pushes it further into dessert territory.
If you switch liqueurs, taste and adjust the cream so the finish stays smooth and balanced.
Our White Russian recipe calls for heavy cream, however, you can use other type of dairy. Half-and-half gives a lighter body that still coats the palate, while whole milk produces the thinnest version – best served in a highball glass over plenty of ice. The richer the dairy, the silkier and more dessert-like the drink; the lighter the dairy, the more the vodka and coffee liqueur come forward.
