History – Rooted from the Black Russian
My twist on the Black Russian is inspired by the Russian family. I’m not talking about mobsters or politicians, I’m referring to cocktails.
Have you ever heard about the Black Russian?
It’s a cocktail made from Vodka and Coffee Liqueur. A definitive sweet alcoholic pick-me-up’r. But watch out for the infamous morning hangover. It tends to chase the Black Russian because it’s so easy to drink too many of these cocktails.
The history of this drink, just like it is with Moscow Mules, is in harmony with stable clichés. I’ve talked about clichés earlier as well in my blog about the Black Tusk Mule. The Black Russian gets the “Russian” in it’s name from the quintessential spirit used in its making, and “black” for the coffee liqueur used. But neither the Black nor White Russians were named after the cocktail’s country of origin.
The White Russian is similar to the Black Russian but comes with a dollop of heavy cream, milk or half-and-half to make this cocktail more worthy of dessert time.
My tweak, the White Siberian, was inspired by my trip to none other than Russia.
A Trip to Siberia
I was in Russia for about four months. During my travels there, I lived quite the nomadic lifestyle with my focus on exploration, meeting new horizons, and getting lost. I was looking for authenticity, and so I didn’t limit my time to just the globalized big cities.
Stepping out into some of the smaller towns, I was hit by how contrasting this large country is. Take for example, the big difference between Western and Eastern Russia. In Western Russia, cities like Moscow and St Petersburg are like any other major city in the world, big, with tall skyscrapers, and the promise of a very fast-paced life. Siberia, tucked away behind the Ural mountains was far from Moscow influence and seemingly stuck in time.
I had begun my travels at the start of winter, and oh boy, was winter coming. The further East I travelled, the colder it got.
As it got colder, I naturally looked for shelter. It was not surprising that those who had the least, gave the most. I was welcomed into the lives of people who I’ll probably never get to see again. Sharing a roof, food and fire was the most valuable luxury there was to give and receive.
When I think about that trip, I’d have to say that my biggest takeaway from Siberia was the fire and smoke.
And so with this recipe, I created the White Siberian, a cocktail made with not just any Vodka, but Raincity Distillery’s Black Tusk Smoked Vodka – to pay homage to the places I’d been that warmed my heart (and body) when I needed it the most.
Making the White Siberian
Besides using Smoked Vodka, I’ve made another tweak to my list of ingredients. Instead of using heavy cream, like the White Russian recipe calls for, I use cashew cream for 2 reasons: 1) I don’t drink milk 2) I prefer its flavour as it’s a bit sweeter than regular cream.
So for those who’ve shied away from drinking White Russians because of the cream, try the White Siberian, it’s a vegan and dairy friendly alternative for those with dietary restrictions.
To compensate for the extra sweetness brought on by cashew cream, I add a little bit more Vodka than your average Black or White Russian would call for, using 1.75oz of Black Tusk Smoked Vodka, instead of the typical 1.5oz of standard vodka.
Add smoked vodka and coffee liqueur to a mixing glass, and pour into a tumbler over ice. Stir.
You could just pour cashew cream over the top to create 2 distinct layers. But I prefer to add cashew cream and crushed ice into a mixer and shake the mixer till the cream envelopes the crushed ice.
Using a dirty pour method, I pour the crushed ice and cream into the glass, creating a slushy.
In my opinion, it makes for a far more enjoyable drink.