Colorado Bulldog

A White Russian finished with cola — vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream gain effervescence and a caramel note from the soda that lightens the cocktail considerably.

The Colorado Bulldog is a variation of the White Russian — vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream — finished with a splash of cola that transforms the dessert cocktail into a bubblier, lighter-tasting drink reminiscent of a root beer float. The White Russian itself evolved from the Black Russian, created in 1949 by bartender Gustave Tops in Brussels in honor of the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg, after cream was later added to soften the drink. Toppped with cola, the same combination is also known in various bar traditions as the Dirty Russian, Tall Black Russian, or Australian Black Russian, alongside the Colorado Bulldog name. The drink's true origin — including whether it has any genuine connection to the U.S. state of Colorado — is undocumented and disputed; no reliable source has traced it to a specific bartender, bar, or date, and it most likely emerged as an informal riff on the White Russian sometime in the mid-to-late 20th century rather than through any single credited inventor. The cola addition introduces effervescence and a caramel note from the soda's own vanilla and kola nut flavoring, creating a cocktail that sits between a White Russian and an ice cream float in its sensory profile.