Colorado Bulldog

The Colorado Bulldog is a sippable sweet cocktail that goes down easy! This variation on the White Russian adds cola for a fizzy twist.

Here’s a sweetly sippable cocktail that goes down easy: the Colorado Bulldog! The name shrouds this drink in mystery, but it’s simply a White Russian all dolled up with a splash of cola. Serve it over crushed ice with a cherry and a straw, and it’s a whole new drink! Honestly, it’s more like a root beer float than a cocktail! There’s not a lot known about the history behind this tasty concoction: but we’re here for it.

What’s a Colorado Bulldog drink?

The Colorado Bulldog is a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur, cream and cola: it’s a variation on the White Russian. The story of the drink is unknown, but it’s possible that it became popular in the 1980’s with a related cocktail, the Mind Eraser.

The Colorado Bulldog is a variation on both the White Russian and the Black Russian. The Black Russian was invented in 1949, apparently for the American ambassador to Luxembourg in a hotel bar in Brussels (here’s the back story). Adding cream to make it a White Russian started in 1955, and it was an instant hit. The Colorado Bulldog drink just adds a splash of cola! The ingredients for a Colorado Bulldog are:

• Vodka
• Coffee liqueur like Kahlua, Tia Maria or Sheridan’s
• Heavy cream
• Cola

How to make a Colorado Bulldog: a few tips

There’s really nothing to making this Colorado Bulldog recipe: it’s literally just a handful of ingredients stirred together in a glass. No cocktail shaker or mixing glass needed! Here are just a few tips to making the best drink:

• Make sure the cream is fresh before you start. The fresher the better.
• The cream may curdle when you add the soda. That’s ok! Just mix it up with a straw.
• Serve in a highball glass like you see here, which further distinguishes this drink from a White Russian. Some people say this makes it simply a “Bulldog,”, but we don’t see any reason to stray from the name. (Unless you’ve heard of this? Let us know in comments below.)

More about Kahlua

Kahlua is the most popular and easy to find coffee liqueur for making the Colorado Bulldog drink. You can use other types of coffee liqueur like Tia Maria or Sheridan’s, but we’re Kahlua fans over here. Here’s a little more about this popular liqueur:

• Kahlua is a coffee liqueur that’s made in Mexico with rum, sugar and coffee. Contrary to what you might think, there’s no dairy at all! Kahlua is naturally dark brown in color.
• Does Kahlua have caffeine? Yes. Kahlua does have caffeine, but it’s only about 25% as much as the same volume of coffee.
• What is the ABV of Kahlua? It is 20% alcohol, making it a low alcohol liqueuer.
• How much does Kahlua cost? It costs about $15 to $20 for a large 750 ml bottle.
• What other cocktails can you make with it? Try Kahlua drinks like the Mudslide, B-52, Bushwacker and more.

Related drinks

There are lots of cocktails that are related to the Colorado Bulldog drink: because of the popularity of that classic combo of Kahlua, vodka, and cream! Here are a few more in the family:

• Black Russian: the classic with Kahlua and vodka
• White Russian: another classic: Kahlua, vodka and cream
• Mind Eraser: a layered drink of Kahlua, vodka and soda water
• Mudslide: Kahlua, vodka and Irish cream
• Espresso Martini: Kahlua, vodka and espresso

When to serve this Colorado Bulldog recipe

The Colorado Bulldog tastes like a root beer float, so we think of it most as an after dinner drink! Of course, you can drink it any time of the day. Try it as a:

• Happy hour drink
• Afternoon cocktail
• Summer drink
• Dessert cocktail
• Girls or guys night drink
• Cocktail hour drink

Print