Black Russian Cocktail

Black Russian Cocktail Story

Considered one of at least two cocktails that influenced the makeup of the iconic White Russian, the Black Russian shares a close relation to a little-known gin and crème de cacao cocktail called a Russian, which appeared in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. That recipe called for a base of vodka and gin stirred up with crème de cacao. With the addition of cream, that cocktail was known as a Russian Bear. In 1949, Gustav Tops, head bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, riffed on a classic Russian with the newly introduced coffee liqueur Kahlúa, endowing it with the name Black Russian. Kahlúa was already a popular product in the United States, so the Black Russian essentially sold itself. By the 1960s, various newspapers and publications were printing recipes for the Black Russian, while others were featuring a novel variation on the drink calling for the addition of cream, heralding the birth of the White Russian.