No matter how distinguished or discerning, there’s one cocktail that makes every patron say, ‘oooooh what’s that?’ when they see it on the bar. The mighty Mudslide cocktail recipe has been tempting drinkers and tapping into their inner child since the 1970s. It’s one of those cocktails that’s just so delicious and morish that it’s borderline illegal. Simply put, it’s an adult coffee milkshake but that doesn’t really do justice to the layers of feel-good flavors. Let’s hop on the Mudslide express and slip ‘n slide our way to cocktail nirvana.
Mudslide Cocktail Recipe
PREP TIME 5 min
QUICK TIPS
INSTRUCTIONS
01
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
02
Pour in the vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream and heavy cream
03
Shake for 30 seconds to chill then strain into a chilled coupe glass and serve
History of the Mudslide cocktail
A Mudslide might look all fancy in its coupe glass with dainty chocolate shavings, but its predecessor is the no-nonsense White Russian. Yup, the squat, milky, on-the-rocks beverage made famous by The Dude in the 90s comedy, The Big Lebowski. If dairy is not your thing, then try the Black Russian, it’s a straight up blend of coffee liqueur and vodka serve on ice.
Legend has it that like many great food and drink delights, the Mudslide was a happy accident. On Grand Cayman Island in the 1970s, there was a bar called Wreck Bar. A patron strolled in after a hard day of lounging on the beach and ordered a White Russian. The bartender said no problem and then opened his fridge and found a big problem.
He was out of cream but what he did have on the shelf was Irish cream liqueur. He shook up the cocktail Mudslide recipe and it was an instant hit. The rest is cocktail history and Mudslide is now a tasty classic. It’s just so darn delicious—and that’s all you really want out of a great cocktail.
Variations
The classic Mudslide is shaken over ice and strained into a chilled glass to create an elegant dessert cocktail. But if you want to go full tilt, sugar-fuel kid mode then add everyone’s favorite frozen treat— ice cream. Add the ingredients for the mudslide cocktail recipe to a blender. Add a few scoops of good-quality ice cream, a squirt of chocolate sauce and blitz until smooth. Is it good? Oooh, you know it is!
Looking for the Love Shack? Try our B-52 cocktail.
When to serve
The problem with the Mudslide is that once you’ve tasted it, you’ll have a hard time serving anything else to your friends. It’s a cheeky way to start a cocktail party or a decadent ending to a great dinner party. The Mudslide will take you as far as you want to slide with it. It’s cooling in summer and the rich coffee flavor works brilliantly in winter, so don’t be afraid to serve it year-round.
Looking for Christmas party cocktails? Explore 13 Jolly Christmas cocktails.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Mudslide was invented during the 1970s at a bar called Wreck Bar on Grand Cayman Island.
The Mudslide has a distinct sweet coffee flavour from the coffee liqueur that’s used to make it.
If you’re stuck and you need a Mudslide fix, then opt for a rum cream liqueur.
