Classic Mudslide Recipe that Everyone Loves

Mudslide Recipe

Discover this simple Mudslide recipe for the classic on-the-rocks cocktail.   If you keep these few ingredients on hand you’ll always have a sweet surprise for your guests.

This coffee- flavored delight has three basic ingredients.  They are listed here with specific suggested brands, but in the discussion below you can glean more information about different choices.  Here’s the “What and How” of the Mudslide:

• What:
  • Stoli’s Vodka
  • Bailey’s Irish Crème®
  • Kahlua® Coffee Liqueur
• How:
  • Use between ½ an ounce and an ounce of each, depending on how big a mudslide you want.
  • Combine the three ingredients in a small, chilled glass over ice.
  • Stir it up and enjoy!
  • Optionally, you can blend the drink for a frozen treat and/or garnish with whipped cream!

Remarkably simple, and sinfully delightful.

Each of the ingredients in your drinks will make a difference, so be sure to use the best quality you can afford.  This is a cardinal rule of all drink making.  Since this Mudslide recipe has so few ingredients, the rule is even more important.

Let’s look at the three (or four!) ingredients one at a time.

• Starting with ice (this makes the fourth ingredient).
  • Be sure it is fresh and not “freezer-flavored”.
  • If you used filtered water it will taste cleaner, especially if you live in an area with a heavy chlorine flavor to the tap water.
  • Use cubes, not crushed ice.  Crushed ice melts faster and dilutes the drink.
• Vodka
  • Vodka originally came from Russia and Poland and was made from potatoes or beets.
  • American vodkas are usually made from grains such as corn, wheat or barley.  It can really be distilled from any grain or fruit or vegetable.
  • The distilling and filtering process leaves it substantially colorless and tasteless.
  • The subtleties between vodkas are more important when there are just a few ingredients, as in a Mudslide.
  • Find something you can afford.  Decent American vodka like Skyy® or Stolis® from Russia can be sufficient. If you can, you may want to splurge on a bottle of bChopin® from Poland, especially if you also enjoy vodka martinis.
• Irish Crème
  • A good selection for Irish Crème liqueur will always be Bailey’s, which is the original.
  • Carolans®, O’Casey’s® or Saint Brendan’s® are good too, with flavors that vary a bit.  Try them all and choose your favorite.
  • There are “light” versions, too.  You might consider them, but only  if you really prefer the flavor.
• Coffee Liqueur
  • The most popular of the coffee liqueurs is Kahlua®, which comes from Mexico and has been made there for over sixty years.
  • Tia Maria is a rum-based drink from Jamaica.   Lighter than Kahlua, it is supposedly from a recipe that dates back to the seventeenth century.
  • The Dutch Capucello® is worth a try.
  • Look at the selection at your favorite store, and experiment.  That’s part of the fun.

So stir it up over ice and make one for a friend or two, too.   These don’t have any mixer, so if you have more than one, you might want to designate a driver.  With just a few ingredients and a little ice, this Mudslide recipe will keep you coming back for more.

Also try this Fridays Mudslide recipe.