Jeff Bridges' character, known as The Dude, drinks nine White Russians -- his signature cocktail -- throughout the course of cult classic film The Big Lebowski. Whether you consider the cocktail to be endemic to only two populations -- alcoholics or hipsters, as the New York Times wrote of the drink in 2008 -- it's still hard to deny the simple, sweet, creamy pleasures of the White Russian (or "Caucasian," as The Dude calls them). Who doesn't love coffee liqueur and cream spiked with a little vodka?
You can, of course, make your own White Russians at home as The Dude does. But in honor of this Saturday's Lebowski Fest, which is returning to Houston after a four-year absence, we decided to spotlight the nine best White Russians in town.
This White Russian -- fittingly termed "The Dude" -- isn't made with your run-of-the-mill dairy products. "We don't use cream," says Liberty Station bartender Lindsay Heffron. "We use a liqueur called Adult Chocolate Milk," for a cocktail she calls "super Lebowski." Even though Heffron says that regular White Russians aren't her cup of Kahlua, she admits: "I'll drink [The Dude] all day long." Heffron has an additional pro-tip for those who order The Dude: "I like mine with vanilla vodka."
2. Little Bigs
You knew Little Bigs was going to make the list. After all, its White Russian-flavored milkshake is called "The Dude." There's no hard booze in The Dude, but there is alcohol in it. So even though it tastes just like a milkshake, beware.
3. Lucky Strike
We all know what The Dude does for recreation: Bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback. You can accomplish at least one of these activities -- sturdy White Russian in hand -- at the Lucky Strike bowling alley in the downtown Pavilions. Bathrobe optional.
