Curious to learn how to make a delicious and creamy Amarula cocktail? You’ve come to the right place!
Our decadent White Russian recipe is one of our favourite Amarula cocktails to make during the festive holiday season.
Amarula is a sweet cream liqueur distilled in South Africa, which we like to shake with vodka, milk and espresso coffee.
The drink can be served warm on a cold winters day or as a cold beverage served over ice and garnished with a sprinkle of fragrant ground nutmeg.
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What Is A White Russian Cocktail?
A White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream served with ice in a handsome rocks glass.
Traditional White Russian recipes typically feature vodka, coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua or Tia Maria) and cream and have been referenced with a grin at bars as an “adult milkshake.”
The White Russian cocktail became popular in the ’60s when a bartender added a bit of cream to the Black Russian, rendering it white. Neither drink is Russian in origin, but the name refers to the vodka, a spirit often associated with the region.
Our Amarula drink pays homage to the White Russian by muddling premium vodka with whole milk, espresso coffee and South Africa’s iconic cream liqueur.
What Is Amarula?
I landed in Johannesburg with my family, bleary eyed after 24 hours of flying time, excited to enjoy a two week road trip of South Africa.
Our African adventure would have us visiting Kruger National Park, The Panorama Route, Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park, Tsitsikamma to Wilderness, Oudtshoorn to Hermanus, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and Cape Town.
After we arrived at our first hotel I’ll never forget how our tour guide immediately welcomed us with a shot of Amarula Cream Liqueur, the country’s ubiquitous drink.
Amarula is a cream liqueur made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African marula tree which is also locally called the Elephant Tree or the Marriage Tree. It is similar in taste to Baileys Irish Cream.
Elephants enjoy eating the fruit of the marula tree. Because of the plants association with elephants, the South African distiller made the big beast its symbol and supports elephant conservation efforts, co-funding the Amarula Elephant Research Programme at the University of Natal in Durban.
Amarula can be sipped straight up, on the rocks, stirred into a morning coffee or prepared as a sweet cocktail like our take on the classic White Russian.
Ingredients
Our creamy Amarula drink recipe is made with fresh and premium ingredients.
- Vodka: we suggest using Grey Goose, Absolut or MoneyBag Vodka.
- Espresso: we suggest using a Nespresso machine to pull two shots of espresso.
- Amarula: the South African cream liqueur is prepared with marula fruit and has a sweet caramel flavour.
- Whole Milk: we suggest using whole milk as it thins out the thicker Amarula but you can also use half and half cream.
- Nutmeg: add a pinch of ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon to the cocktail before serving.
Recipe Directions
- Prepare espresso shots in your Nespresso Machine and let cool to room temperature.
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add espresso, vodka, milk and Amarula. Shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds.
- Strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg before serving.
Cocktail Tips
- This cocktail recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes.
- We love serving this White Russian-inspired drink during the Christmas holiday season as it features festive spices like ground nutmeg or cinnamon. It can be served as a dessert cocktail, perfect for those craving a boozy adult milkshake.
- The recipe below serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
- We’ve used espresso in this recipe but you can substitute with a strong coffee prepared in a French press or with a coffee machine if you prefer.
- If you’re hosting a party store the Amarula and vodka bottles in the freezer 2-3 hours before guests arrive so the spirits are well chilled.
- We like to garnish the cocktail with ground nutmeg but you can use other festive spices like cinnamon or all spice.
- Serve the cocktail in your prettiest glassware with whole ice cubes if you prefer a cold drink or pour the hot espresso straight into the glass for a winter warmer.
- If you’re serving the drink as an adult dessert and love ice cream we suggest serving it with a scoop of Maple Black Walnut Ice Cream.
- You can prepare a vegan Amarula cocktail by using Amarula Plant Based and substituting the whole dairy milk for a nut milk like almond milk or oat milk.
Serving Suggestions
While you can certainly enjoy sipping this cocktail year round, Amarula Cocktails are most often enjoyed during the festive holiday season.
Christmas is the time of year when people most often enjoy the cozy comfort of cream liqueurs like Amarula and Baileys. My family enjoys adding a few glugs of Amarula to our morning coffee all year round, so we’ve always got a bottle standing by our coffee machine.
We suggest serving this Amarula White Russian Cocktail at Christmas and New Years Eve Parties as well as festive family brunches.
If you’re hosting a holiday party in December we suggest serving this White Russian recipe with popular Christmas desserts like:
- Festive Fresh Fig Frangipane Pistachio Tartlets
- Gevulde Speculaas Dutch Cherry Almond Spice Cookies
- Kardemummabullar Swedish Cardamom Buns
- Christmas Cranberry and White Chocolate Muffins
- Finska Pinnar Swedish Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Chokladsnittar Swedish Chocolate Cookie Slices
- Budapestrulle Swedish Budapest Roll Cake
- Chocolate Hazelnut Ferrero Rocher Cake
- Toblerone Shortbread Cookies
- Tebirkes Danish Poppy Seed Pastry
You May Also Enjoy These Holiday Cocktail Recipes…
You May Also Enjoy These Holiday Cocktail Recipes…
- Christmas Toblerone Cocktail
- Vegan Eggnog Aquafaba Cocktail
- Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail
- Vodka Blood Orange Cocktail
- Clarified Gin and Milk Punch Cocktail
- Raspberry Gin Fizz Chambord Cocktail
- Mint Chocolate After Eight Cocktail
- Baileys Apple Pie Cocktail Recipe
- Festive Christmas Old Fashioned
- Pomegranate Gin Fizz
- Grand Marnier Sidecar
How To Make A White Russian Amarula Cocktail
White Russian Amarula Cocktail
Equipment
- Shot Glass
- Cocktail Glass
- Nespresso Machine
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 oz Espresso room temperature
- 1 oz Amarula Cream Liqueuer
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Whole Milk
- Pinch Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare espresso shots in your Nespresso Machine and let cool to room temperature.
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add espresso, vodka, milk and Amarula. Shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds.
- Strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg before serving.
Nutrition
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