Black Russian Black Russian The Black Russian is a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur. It contains five parts vodka to two parts coffee liqueur, per IBA specified ingredients. Traditionally, the drink is made by pouring the vodka over ice cubes or cracked ice in an old-fashioned glass, followed by the coffee liqueur. This combination first appeared in 1949 and is ascribed to Gustave Tops, a Belgian barman, who created it at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in honor of Perle Mesta, then United States Ambassador to Luxembourg. The cocktail owes its name to the use of vodka, a typical Russian spirit,
Robert Hess (cocktail expert) Robert Hess (cocktail expert) Robert B. Hess is a cocktail expert, a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, and a technology evangelist for Microsoft. Hess is the author of "The Essential Bartender's Guide: How to Make Truly Great Cocktails" published by Mud Puddle Books in 2008. He is also the host of "The Cocktail Spirit," an online video series published by the Small Screen Network. In late 2008, Hess, along with several other well-known cocktail personalities, founded The Chanticleer Society, a "Worldwide Organization of Cocktail Enthusiasts." Hess also writes a column entitled "Classic Cocktails" for the bi-monthly fine