Mudslide
Vodka, coffee liqueur and Irish cream, shaken or blended with ice cream. A 1970s Cayman Islands beach drink that is a milkshake with three spirits in it — and knows it.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
For the shaken version: add the vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and cream to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake hard for 12 seconds; strain over ice in a rocks glass.
For the frozen version: blend the three spirits with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a half-cup of ice until smooth, and pour into a hurricane glass.
Drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of the glass before pouring, if you want the full 1980s effect.
Finish with a grating of nutmeg or chocolate.
A thoughtful finish
- Equal parts is the recipe and the drink is sweet; cut the Irish cream to half an ounce and add cream for a drier, more adult version.
- A dry, high-proof coffee liqueur rescues it from cloying. The classic sweet style makes it a dessert.
- Keep citrus away from it — the cream liqueur curdles.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a cocktail to sip all evening. It is a dessert; have one.
- Cheap coffee liqueur and cheap cream liqueur together, which doubles the sugar.
- Blending it thin. If frozen, it should hold a straw.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between a Mudslide and a White Russian?
Irish cream. A White Russian is vodka, coffee liqueur and cream; a Mudslide swaps the cream for Irish cream liqueur, or adds it, and is often blended with ice cream.
Shaken or frozen?
Both exist. Shaken over ice is the bar version; blended with ice cream is the restaurant version. The frozen one is sweeter.
How strong is it?
About 20% ABV shaken — three ounces of spirit and liqueur in a small drink. It does not taste it, which is the usual warning.
Can I make it without vodka?
Yes — coffee liqueur and Irish cream alone over ice is a gentler drink that some bars sell as a Baby Mudslide.
Variations
- White Russian — Vodka, coffee liqueur and cream.
- Black Russian — Vodka and coffee liqueur.
- B-52 — Coffee liqueur, Irish cream and orange liqueur, layered.
- Brandy Alexander — Cognac, crème de cacao and cream.
Where it comes from
c. 1970s · Grand Cayman · Wreck Bar, Rum Point
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Mudslide is credited to the Wreck Bar at Rum Point on Grand Cayman in the early 1970s, where a guest asked for a White Russian and the bar, out of cream, used Irish cream liqueur instead — a story told by the bar and unprovable. It spread with the cruise ships and the chain restaurants of the 1980s, picked up ice cream and chocolate syrup on the way, and became the dessert cocktail of its decade. In its shaken form it is a White Russian with Irish cream; blended with ice cream it is a milkshake, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Mudslide, 2015 (reference)
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
Strength. About 1.28 US standard drinks at an estimated 14.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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