RumChata White Russian

The RumChata White Russian is sweet and creamy! This drink is a great way to use the cinnamon and cream liqueur.

Got RumChata and looking for a way to use it? If you’re a lover of sweet and creamy drinks, try the RumChata White Russian! This spin on the classic drink is an ideal use for the cinnamon and cream liqueur, pairing it with coffee liqueur and vodka. It’s intensely sweet, so plan on nursing this slow sipper all evening. Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients in a RumChata White Russian

The RumChata White Russian is a spin on the classic drink using the cream liqueur instead of cream. A Classic White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka, heavy cream, and coffee liqueur that stems back to the 1950’s. It’s actually a variation on yet another classic cocktail, the Black Russian, which is just vodka and Kahlua. Either way, these two drinks have a long history and remain massively popular today.

What do you need for a RumChata White Russian recipe? Just swap out the heavy cream for RumChata! It adds notes of cinnamon and vanilla to the coffee notes in the Kahlua. Here’s what you need for a RumChata White Russian:

• Vodka
• Coffee liqueur (Kahlua or other)
• RumChata

How sweet is this drink?

Both RumChata and Kahlua are very sugary liqueurs. So it goes without saying that the RumChata White Russian is very sweet. In fact, it’s almost a little too sweet for our tastes. So here’s what we did to cut back a little on sweetness:

• The Kahlua is reduced compared to a classic White Russian. Adding only ½ ounce of Kahlua tones down the sweetness.
• You can also slightly reduce the RumChata. Because it’s sweetened, RumChata makes a much sweeter White Russian than the standard with cream.

More about Rumchata

Perhaps like us, you acquired a bottle of RumChata for making a Cinnamon Toast Crunch shot? It’s hard to know what to do with this sweet liqueur once you have it. Here’s a bit more about it:

• RumChata is a cream liqueur made in Wisconsin with Caribbean rum, cream, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. It’s similar to Baileys Irish Cream, but Baileys is made in Ireland with Irish whiskey. RumChata tastes sweet and creamy, with cinnamon and dark rum notes on the finish.
• RumChata was introduced in 2009 and inspired by the Mexican and Spanish drink horchata, a creamy drink made with soaked rice or almonds and cinnamon that resembles milk. The difference? Rumchata has actual dairy…and rum! Despite the name on the bottle, it doesn’t actually contain horchata (read more here).
• How much does RumChata cost? It costs about $20 for a large 750 ml bottle.
• What else can you make with it? Try a Cinnamon Toast Crunch or RumChata Coffee.

How to make a RumChata White Russian

The RumChata White Russian couldn’t be easier: you can build the entire drink in the glass! Here’s how to do it:

• Add the vodka and Kahlua to a glass, then pour in the RumChata. 
• Stir gently to get the swirl effect. If you stir the drink right away, it will be a beige color. It’s more fun to get the swirl effect! Stir it gently just a few times, and the cream will swirl into the vodka and Kahlua in a beautiful pattern.
• To step it up: use clear ice! Clear ice is artisanal ice that’s crystal clear, instead of cloudy like normal ice. Cut it into large, organic shapes and it looks like something you’d find at an upscale bar! It’s easy to make: all you need is 24 hours and a small cooler. Go to How to Make Clear Ice.

More variations on a White Russian

The White Russian is a classic 1950’s cocktail that has all sorts of variations! Here are a few to try:

• Try the classic White Russian or Black Russian
• Opt for a Baileys White Russian
• Go for a minty Peppermint White Russian

01

White Russian

02

Black Russian

03

Baileys White Russian

04

Peppermint White Russian

Print