The Black Russian and the White Russian

Wow, another drink that David and I both enjoyed - doesn't happen that often! I've never had a Black Russian, but this was pretty good.

The Black Russian was reportedly first served at Hotel Metropole in Brussels, Belgium in 1949. The Black comes from the use of Kahlua, and the Russian from the Vodka.

Vodka originally comes from Poland in the early 15th century, but was made popular in Russia after that time. It was originally called "bread wine" until the mid 18th century. There are two explanations for the word "Vodka" - a diminutive of the word water in Russian "voda", and it is also thought to have derived from the Latin phrase "aqua vita" (water of life) which in Polish was "okowita".

Dmitri Mendeleev (famous for the invention of the periodic table)worked on perfecting the alcohol content in Vodka in the late 19th century. It's typically 40% (80 proof).

David's Swizzle Stick Ratings:
Black Russian - 5 Swizzle Sticks

I'd give it at least a 4, if not 5.

The Black Russian - 2.5 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. Kahlua. Pour into an Old Fashioned cocktail glass filled with ice cubes. Swizzle.

Variations:
A "White Russian" is mixed the same as the Black Russian, but topped with cream. That I've had, and it was really good too.

A "Tall Black Russian" is mixed the same, but served in a Tom Collins cocktail glass and topped with Coke.