Russian Cocaine Shots

It is identifiable only by a neon light in the shape of a red star on the side of a building facing the Malecón in Havana. In the misty rain that subsided from a sheer downpour, which took several hours away from our time on the shores of Cuba, we barely spotted it from the mint green Chevrolet Bel Air whose driver was taking us to the Soviet themed bar. We sat outside on the balcony and watched the storm roll out, with the shouts of the few people who were still out in the rain echoing in the distance. The menu was mainly vodka, potatoes, and beets, so we ordered some snacks and vodka drinks to get going on our highly anticipated night out in Cuba. Our driver offered to come get us later and drive us around all night, so we said sure, por favor, come back for us in an hour and a half!

We had a good time watching the sun slip away behind the storm clouds, laughing at the fact that we might be on a list now for coming to a Russian bar in a socialist country. We were the few patrons inside thanks to the soaking rain earlier. The bartenders were bored and wanted to chat with the American girls that somehow found their way to this dive bar in Havana. Bored bartenders, in my experience, like to show off their bar knowledge and skills. While we were leaning against the bar waiting for our driver to return, he served us the most interesting shot we'd seen.

On each plate was a lime wedge, a small pile of white granulated sugar on one edge, and a similarly sized pile of brown granules opposite the sugar. Five shots of vodka were lined up next to the plates, and the bartended nodded at us. "What is it?" we asked, gathering around, reaching for the shot glasses. He took one of the lime wedges in one hand, and a vodka shot in the other. Silently, he pressed one side of the lime into the sugar, and the other into the brown granules. "What's the brown stuff?" one of us asked. Turns out, it was instant coffee granules. He demonstrated for us to take the shot and then bite down on the lime, for an electrifying sensation that warms you up from within from the alcohol, and begins a buzzy zingy feeling from the combination of tarty sugar and caffeine from the lime. "Russian cocaine shot," he said with a grin, and walked off into the kitchen.

With our senses tingling and our spirits awakened again, we headed out from the dark bar into the fading daylight to find our driver waiting. Next, we were spirited off to a big dance show at Hotel Nacional de Cuba where we watched an amazing performance.

Naturally, when one comes home from vacation, there's a sense of trying to recapture that relaxing vacation feeling, whether its through dressing more casually, or like I prefer, recreating the foods and drinks from the trip. Since we had so little time in Cuba, this shot and the experience of just trying new stuff just because it's there, made me want to keep this part of our time in the country with me. I don't always go nuts with Russian cocaine shots at home, but after everyone's brief affair with dalgona coffee, I had a feeling that more people than usual might have instant coffee granules sitting around.

Plus with it being an election year and worries about Russian interference, why not enjoy a little bit of Russian influence instead, while we worry about the rest of it another day? Or depending on how many shots you take... maybe not so much with the worrying.

For maximum enjoyment of this shot, I recommend starting the night with it. I also recommending sugar side DOWN, aka on your tongue. Patrick tried coffee down and I did sugar side down and we had very different shot experiences! Aka he did not like his, and I did.

The coffee will give you a zing to keep on going, and you probably don't want anything else impeding your ability to fall asleep once it's time to do so. You know, at 11 p.m., because we can't hang as hard anymore now that we're in our mid-30s. But we can try, with a little help from coffee and vodka, at the beginning of the night.

If you're thinking about traveling to Cuba too, check the latest travel restrictions for Americans, and if you're content with a little Havana daydreaming for now, check out my post on our trip to Cuba in 2018.