Colorado Bulldog

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

A creamy and carbonated tipple, the Colorado Bulldog is potent and delicious.

After working on this piece, I’ve become very curious about how well-known today’s cocktail is. In fact, once the sun goes down I’m heading around the corner to my nearest watering hole and ordering myself a Colorado Bulldog. One, to see if the barkeep knows what I’m talking about, and two, because this drink is really, really good.

To begin with, this beverage is a bit of a mystery. Who created it? And why is it called a Colorado Bulldog? Well, nobody knows. And if anyone does, they’re not spilling the beans. What is known is that this tasty drink started popping up in bars during the 1980s and 1990s. Did it originate in Colorado? Was a bulldog involved, and if so, was the pup trained to mix cocktails in general or just that one? And without opposable thumbs, how’d that work anyway? These are questions that’ll keep you up at night.

So what is a Colorado Bulldog? Simply put, you take a White Russian, which is a variation on the Black Russian, and top it off with a dark cola. The end result is a thoroughly satisfying and creamy tipple akin to a soda float. You could even go one step further and add a scoop of French vanilla ice cream to your mixture.

Ice cream or no, this cocktail is a smooth, strong and spiky experience, both sweet and a little spiced from the soda. The mystery of the concoction’s name may never be solved, but it doesn’t matter. It’s here, it’s delicious and you’ll always have it as an option when it’s time to invite a few friends over for a couple of rounds.

What Is The Best Alcohol To Use In A Colorado Bulldog?

The spirits you’ll need to build this drink are vodka and coffee liqueur. For the vodka I’d recommend choosing an unflavored variety, allowing the notes from the coffee liqueur, heavy cream and cola to do most of the work. For a slightly sweeter mix, you can use a vanilla vodka, which will mix nicely with the spices from the soft drink. While there are a number of brands out there to choose from when shopping for coffee liqueur, Kahlúa is easy to find, of good quality and cost-effective. Never hurts to have a bottle handy at home.

WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH IS USED?

Fill a highball glass with ice before pouring your drink in. Pop a cherry on top to give it that “soda float” look, as well as a few straws.

WHAT IS THE BEST COLA TO USE AS A MIXER FOR THIS COCKTAIL?

I like to use Fever-Tree mixers in my cocktails. They make something called Distiller’s Cola that is specifically crafted for use with spirits such as rum, whiskey and other alcohol that would traditionally mix with something like Coke, Pepsi or RC. If you can’t find any Fever-Tree, your preferred brand of soft drink will work just fine. You can even swap out the cola for root beer or Dr. Pepper.

Similar Cocktails To The Colorado Bulldog

So now that you’ve had and relished a few Colorado Bulldogs, you’re looking over the ingredients you used to make them and wondering what else you can whip up over the weekend. Do some exploring here at Twist & Toast, and let us help you with some of our easy-to-make recipes. Try these out and see which ones become your new favorites.

• Mind Eraser – Kahlúa, vodka and club soda come together in this potent and robust tipple.
• Vodka and Coke – This simple mixture will refresh you after a hard day.
• Espresso Martini – Enliven your senses with this eye-opening cocktail.
• Revolver – Combine bourbon with your coffee liqueur to create this smoky concoction.