Black Russian

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass.

Garnish:

Lemon slice & cherry on stick (sail)

Comment:

This popular cocktail is often served topped with cola, when it becomes a Colorado Bulldog.

Variant:

1/ Served straight-up in a Martini glass. 2/ Topped with cola and served over ice in a Collins glass. 3/ Made into a White Russian.

About:

Thought to have been created circa 1949 by Gustav Tops, a hotel bartender in Brussels. Set against the start of the Cold War, the drink is said to have been inspired by Perle Skirvin Mesta, the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg (1949-1953) and rich American socialite who the term 'hostess with the mostess' was coined for due to her lavish parties.
As well as this cocktail, Perle was the inspiration for Irving Berlin's musical Call Me Madam and several books, including her own 1960 autobiography, Perle: My Story.