White Russian (cocktail) White Russian (cocktail) A White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur (e.g., Kahlúa or Tia Maria), and cream served with ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Often milk will be used as an alternative to cream. The traditional cocktail known as a Black Russian, which first appeared in 1949, becomes a White Russian with the addition of cream. Neither drink is Russian in origin, but both are so named due to vodka being the primary ingredient. It is unclear which drink preceded the other. The "Oxford English Dictionary" refers to the first mention of the word "White
Cocktail dress among the American elite. While French couture relied on travel and American department stores, American designers relied on fashion magazines, such as "Vogue" and "Vanity Fair", and the need to dress semi-formally for cocktail hour. In 1948, Christian Dior labeled this business-casual dress with the term "cocktail dress". This allowed department store to advertise specifically “cocktail” garments and accessories, increasing the growth of fashion stores. The craze for cocktail culture drove sales in cocktail merchandise as well, such as cocktail and martini-printed fabrics. The American cocktail dress could be anything from a "little black dress" to a floral-printed dress or