#281 Cocktail: White Russian

   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 Russian" in the sense of a cocktail as appearing in California's Oakland Tribune on November 21, 1965. It was placed in the newspaper as an insert: "White Russian. 1 oz. each Southern, vodka, cream", with "Southern" referring to Coffee Southern, a short-lived brand of coffee liqueur by Southern Comfort.

   Though long regarded as a boring and unsophisticated drink, the White Russian saw a surge in popularity after the 1998 release of the film The Big Lebowski. Throughout the movie, it appears as the beverage of choice for the protagonist, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski. On a number of occasions he refers to the drink as a "Caucasian".

2 ounces vodka

1 ounce Kahlua 

1 ounce cream

#280 Cocktail: The Third Degree

  The cocktail can be found in the Savoy Cocktail book as a drier alternative to another cocktail called, The Forth Degree. The first one consists in equal parts of gin, vermouth and a dash of absinthe, an the latter one diminishes the amount of vermouth
   

2 1/2 ounces vodka or gin

1/2 ounce dry vermouth

Absinthe or absinthe substitute to taste