Orange Amaretto White Russian Cocktail

Name: Orange Amaretto White Russian Cocktail
Prep time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 to 3 (2-inch) orange peels (I like mine orange-y); 1 ounce of coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua); 3/4 ounce of amaretto liqueur (recommend Disaronno brand; I go a bit heavy here); 1 1/2 ounces of vodka; 1 dash of Angostura bitters (or any orange bitters); 3/4 ounce of heavy cream; Ice for serving (and for shaking); Orange peels for garnish

Confession: I got busted for having Kahlua in my dorm fridge in college. Yes, I was HARDCORE. And once upon a time my 21-year-old self was a big fan of white russians and mudslides…and then I got into wine and moved on.

It’s been like 15+ years since I last had a white russian until just now. Hadn’t really given them a big thought. Wasn’t really a big vodka drinker. And then I saw this orange amaretto white russian and literally said UMM YESSSSS out loud. I’ve been obsessed ever since.

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This orange amaretto white russian has SO much going on! Not in a bad way, though, where the flavors might all be trying to out-shout each other. It’s super balanced, quite boozy, and the richness of the coffee, sweet bitterness of the almond liqueur, and brightness of the fresh orange really elevate it.

And while it might look like a lot of ingredients, the actual recipe/technique couldn’t be simpler. You can see my Instagram Reel of the recipe here (first time I’ve done one, quite fun but I have some learning to do!).

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This is mostly using the original recipe from Yes to Yolks, but I backed off the cream just a bit because I prefer the flavors of the coffee and almond liqueurs and orange oils to punch through a bit more (and cream tends to deaden that). I sometimes put a tiiiiiny bit more amaretto in too, as I love that flavor.

Add the orange peels to a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler (or the handle of a wooden spoon to gently smash the orange rind until it is really fragrant.

Fill the shaker (this one is my fave!) with ice and add the coffee liqueur, amaretto, vodka, and bitters.

Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds (I go closer to 15) to mix and chill the ingredients. It’s always good to taste the mixture at this point to make sure it’s balanced to your tastes.

Strain the mixture into a rocks glass with some ice.

Now we make the magic happen!

Drizzle the heavy cream into the glass. Stop and gaze lovingly at the beautiful layers.

Stir to combine, and garnish with an orange peel (if you’re not feeling too lazy).

This has been such a wonderful cozy winter cocktail, bringing a real VIBE to my weekends lately.

Other boozy & indulgent cocktails great for cold weather:

2 to 3 (2-inch) orange peels (I like mine orange-y)
1 ounce of coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua)
3/4 ounce of amaretto liqueur (recommend Disaronno brand; I go a bit heavy here)
1 1/2 ounces of vodka
1 dash of Angostura bitters (or any orange bitters)
3/4 ounce of heavy cream
Ice for serving
Orange peels for garnish

Add the orange peels to a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler (or the handle of a wooden spoon to gently smash the orange rind until it is really fragrant.
Fill the shaker with ice and add the coffee liqueur, amaretto, vodka, and bitters.
Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds (I go closer to 15) to mix and chill the ingredients. It’s always good to taste the mixture at this point to make sure it’s balanced to your tastes.
Strain the mixture into a rocks glass with some ice.
Drizzle the heavy cream into the glass. Stop and gaze lovingly at the beautiful layers before stirring to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with an orange peel.

Adapted slightly from Yes to Yolks

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Orange Amaretto White Russian Cocktail

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

This fascinating Orange Amaretto White Russian is a twist on the classic, and may ruin you for all future ones! It's super easy, indulgent, boozy, fresh, & delicious!

Ingredients

2 to 3 (2-inch) orange peels (I like mine orange-y)
1 ounce of coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua)
3/4 ounce of amaretto liqueur (recommend Disaronno brand; I go a bit heavy here)
1 1/2 ounces of vodka
1 dash of Angostura bitters (or any orange bitters)
3/4 ounce of heavy cream
Ice for serving (and for shaking)
Orange peels for garnish

Instructions

Add the orange peels to a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler (or the handle of a wooden spoon to gently smash the orange rind until it is really fragrant.
Fill the shaker with ice and add the coffee liqueur, amaretto, vodka, and bitters.
Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds (I go closer to 15) to mix and chill the ingredients. It's always good to taste the mixture at this point to make sure it's balanced to your tastes.
Strain the mixture into a rocks glass with some ice.
Drizzle the heavy cream into the glass. Stop and gaze lovingly at the beautiful layers before stirring to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with an orange peel.

Notes

This is mostly the original recipe, but I backed off the cream just a bit because I prefer the flavors of the coffee and almond liqueurs and orange oils to punch through a bit more (and cream tends to deaden that).