It's one of the most popular alcohol-based 'comfort drinks' known to man and has brought with it countless variations.
Known for being extremely smooth (all that heavy cream helps), the drink is a variation of a Black Russian cocktail that first appeared in 1949. Both the Black Russian and the White Russian drinks have no significant ties to Russia and are instead named for their use of vodka as the primary alcoholic ingredient.
Fo the uninitiated, a White Russian consists of 1 ½ ounces of vodka, ¾ ounces of Kahlua and ¾ ounces of heavy cream served in an Old-Fashioned glass. It can be stirred vigorously or presented with a milky hurricane hovering on the surface by gently pouring the cream on top as a finish.
The drink saw a resurgence of popularity in popular culture thanks to the 1998 hit comedy 'The Big Lebowski'. In the film, the main character played by Jeff Bridges who goes by 'The Dude' refers to the cocktail as a 'Caucasian' and drinks them prominently throughout the duration of the film.
Well, Kahlua has brought 'The Dude' back (well, Jeff Bridges at least) in a new short film that is slated to be officially released on Sep. 9th, but is currently available on YouTube now.
The four-minute short involves Jeff Bridges telling a "twisting tale of the unexpected encounter of two men from different worlds" and is set in the Mexican desert some time in the early 1970s.
The mysterious short also involves a jazz club, a musical trio and a mysterious leather briefcase...things that suit the bill for a great an odd White Russian-inspired story.
The film is a first from Kahlua Productions and marks the start of new effort to create original content that centers around the iconic brand and its other signature coffee liqueur-inspired drinks including the Mudslide, the Espresso Martini and the Mind Eraser.
The move into creating digital content is a great strategy for Kahlua as more advertisers are seeing a great response from original branded content.
We've seen similar efforts lately from other alcohol brands including DeWars' Highlander Honey campaign that saw them teaming up with professional beekeepers and digital craftsmen to create honeycomb in the shape of a DeWars bottle...then releasing the content as a documentary.
If you're a diehard Big Lebowski or Jeff Bridges fan, be sure to follow the #KahluaWhiteRussian hashtag to stay updated on their heavy social media push.
