The story
Credit usually goes to Gustave Tops, a barman at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels, who is said to have mixed vodka and coffee liqueur in 1949 for Perle Mesta, the American ambassador to Luxembourg and a celebrated Washington hostess. The name pairs vodka's Russian associations with the drink's dark colour, which suited the early Cold War. Drink historians point out that no record from 1949 has been found, and the earliest printed mention, from 1956, calls it a new drink at a San Francisco restaurant. Coffee liqueur advertising spread it across America, and adding cream later produced the White Russian.
Rival claims
Widely attributed to Gustave Tops at the Hotel Metropole, but no contemporary 1949 documentation has been found.
Also known as Black Russian cocktail.
On the Meridish menu
Black Russian was the aperitif course on menu No. 16 on October 16, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice. A barman at a grand hotel is said to have created it in 1949 for the American ambassador to Luxembourg.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
