Gingerbread White Russian

finished drink garnished with a gingerbread man

This Gingerbread White Russian is the perfect cocktail to celebrate the holidays with! Made with a homemade cinnamon gingerbread syrup, this is a creamy, sweet and oh so delicious cocktail that will make you want another!

Cheers to Fridays in December! A perfect time to share a new festive cocktail, right?! If you’re looking for another festive cocktail, try out my Cranberry Orange Bourbon Fizz! Or if you want to make it extra warming, try the Vanilla Fig Dark and Stormy!

This Gingerbread White Russian is particularly delicious. It’s incredibly creamy, sweet and a little spicy from the ginger and so easy to drink! 

The first time I ever had a White Russian was at our friend Chris’s house. This was about a year and a half ago and we were having a game night (if you didn’t know, Ben and I are huge board game nerds!). 

straight on shot of the kahlua and tito's

Chris, who was a bartender in years past, made me this classic drink and I fell in love at the first rich and creamy sip! 

So this year I knew that I wanted to create an extra special, super festive version of this beloved cocktail – especially since gingerbread is one of my all time favorite holiday flavors! 

Why You Will Love This Drink: 

The short answer? It’s creamy, sweet and SO good. 

The kaluha and vodka are the perfect blend of flavors resulting in: sweet, a little bitter and coffee-esque!

Adding the heavy cream to the kahlua and vodka already makes an incredible drink. 

pouring heavy cream in the drink

Buuuuuut, it’s the Christmas season! And we need some extra fun flavors, right?! 

The homemade cinnamon gingerbread syrup is SO yummy! It’s sweet, a little extra spicy from the flavor of the fresh ginger. The molasses gives us that dark, deep sweetness of flavor and so does the light brown sugar. 

gingerbread syrup in a mason jar

It makes the thick, delightfully sweet syrup that when you mix with the kahlua, vodka and heavy cream – it almost tastes like an alcoholic gingerbread latte! Ha! 

So, let’s get into exactly what you need to make it, shall we? 

Ingredients You Need: 

  • Light brown sugar 
  • Water
  • Molasses
  • Fresh ginger
  • Cinnamon 
  • Vanilla extract 
  • Vodka 
  • Kahlua 
  • Ice
  • Gingerbread men to garnish 

How to Make Cinnamon Gingerbread Syrup: 

In a small pot, add in the brown sugar, water, molasses, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sliced fresh ginger! I highly recommend using fresh ginger for this recipe to get the potent ginger flavor! Stir all together to combine. 

On medium heat, let the mixture come to a simmer and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes or so until it’s thickened to your desired consistency. It’s not going to be an insanely THICK syrup at first just FYI 🙂 BUT just know that as it cools it will thicken!! 

overhead shot of cinnamon dusted drink

Once done, remove the ginger slices, add to a mason jar and let it cool. Store in the fridge and use for cocktails or a festive latte! 

Assembling the Drink: 

To a cocktail shaker, add 4 cubes of ice along with the vodka, kahlua and gingerbread simple syrup. Shake shake shake until combined. 

Add to your favorite cocktail glass. 

Top it off with a generous pour of heavy cream. Stir!

stirring the cream in the cocktail glass with a golden spoon

Sprinkle cinnamon on top and if you want to get REAL festive, add gingerbread cookies on top! 

This drink is SO so so delicious and I hope you try it this weekend! 

straight on shot of a creamy garnished drink

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie

Gingerbread White Russian

This Gingerbread White Russian is the perfect cocktail to celebrate the holidays with! Made with a homemade cinnamon gingerbread syrup, this is a creamy, sweet and oh so delicious cocktail that will make you want another!

Course cocktails, Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon gingerbread syrup, gingerbread syrup, gingerbread white russian, white russian cocktail
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 person
Author Haylie

Ingredients

Cinnamon Gingerbread Syrup

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar 
  • 1 and 1/4 cup water 
  • 3 tbsp molasses 
  • 3 (1 inch slices) fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Gingerbread White Russian

  • 1 oz gingerbread syrup (or more!) 
  • 2 oz vodka 
  • 1 oz Kahlua
  • Gingerbread men + sprinkling of cinnamon to garnish 
  • 1-2 oz heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Cinnamon Gingerbread Syrup

  1. Peel the fresh ginger and slice it into 1 inch thick slices. In a small pot, add in the brown sugar, water, molasses, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sliced fresh ginger! Stir all together to combine. 

  2. Place the stove eye on medium heat and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes or so or until thickened. It will thicken more when cooling!

  3. Once done, remove the ginger slices, add to a mason jar and let it cool. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Gingerbread White Russian

  1. To a cocktail shaker, add 4 cubes of ice and the vodka, kahlua and 1 oz or so of the gingerbread syrup. Shake until combined.

  2. Add to your favorite glass and then top with a generous pour of heavy cream. Stir and then garnish with cinnamon and a cute gingerbread man if desired!

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