Ingredients
- .5 oz Vodka
- .5 oz Irish Cream
- .5 oz White Creme De Cacao
Instructions
Shake Ingredients:
- Pour vodka, Irish cream, and white crème de cacao into a shaker filled with ice.
Shake and Strain:
- Shake well to mix and chill the ingredients. Strain into a shot glass.
Serve:
- Serve immediately and enjoy the creamy, smooth flavours!
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The China White is a back-bar dessert shot from the early 2000s, designed for after-dinner ordering when the menu of layered shooters had run its course. The name comes from the off-white colour the drink takes on once shaken.
It sits next to the Buttery Nipple, the Slippery Nipple and the Mudslide shot in the creamy-shot family. All four use Irish cream as a load-bearing texture and a contrasting liqueur to give the drink its character. The white creme de cacao here is what makes it dessert.
Best ordered after a meal, in a setting where dessert has already happened. Two of these is one too many; one is enough.
What it tastes like
Cold cream first, soft chocolate in the middle, a clean vodka-vanilla finish. Sweeter than a White Russian but less syrupy than a Mudslide. Drinks like a thinned milkshake.
Around 22 percent ABV in the shot glass. The vodka pulls the strength up and the dairy softens the way it lands. Standard one-and-a-half drinks per shot.
The technique
Pour half an ounce of vodka, half an ounce of Irish cream, and half an ounce of white creme de cacao into a shaker filled with ice. Shake for five seconds, just enough to chill and combine. Strain into a chilled shot glass.
Chill the shot glass in the freezer for ten minutes before pouring. The cold glass keeps the dairy crisp and the drink lands at full effect.
Drink Buddy Exclusive
Tell us what's in your cabinet.
Our Cocktail Builder takes whatever bottles you've got and hands you every drink you can actually make tonight.
Open the Builder →Get the Drink Buddy newsletter
One drink, one tip, one Tuesday a month.
Plus the recipes we drop before they hit the site. Zero spam.
Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The white creme de cacao
- Use
- Marie Brizard or Bols white creme de cacao.
- Skip
- Dark creme de cacao. Different colour, different drink.
- Why
- White creme de cacao is the chocolate flavour without the colour. It pulls the shot toward dessert and keeps the off-white look that gives the drink its name.
The Irish cream
- Use
- Bailey's, Carolans, or Five Farms.
- Skip
- Cheap supermarket Irish cream. It splits when shaken hard.
- Why
- The Irish cream is the texture and most of the body. Quality matters here because the shot is mostly Irish cream by perception.
The vodka
- Use
- A clean wheat or potato vodka (Absolut, Tito's, Wyborowa).
- Skip
- Flavoured vodka. The Irish cream and the cacao already do plenty.
- Why
- Vodka stretches the alcohol without adding flavour. It pulls the shot up to a real one-and-a-half drinks instead of just a creamy sip.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
The standard build
- China White, shaken
- Equal parts vodka, Irish cream, white creme de cacao. Shaken with ice, strained into a chilled shot glass.
The layered build
- China White, layered
- Skip the shaker. Pour the white creme de cacao into the bottom, layer Irish cream over a bar spoon, float the vodka on top. Drinks slightly different, looks like a small B-52.
The frozen build
- China White, blended
- Drop the same equal parts into a blender with a cup of crushed ice. Blend smooth, pour into a chilled rocks glass. Now it is a small Mudslide.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Brown creme de cacao works but the shot will look brown rather than off-white. Mozart Chocolate Cream is another swap, sweeter, with a Lindt-truffle note.
Coconut cream with a teaspoon of bourbon. Different texture, similar flavour shape. The shot loses its dairy character.
Skip the vodka and bump the Irish cream and white creme de cacao to three quarters of an ounce each. Sweeter, less alcoholic, easier to drink.
Stir in a small mixing glass with cracked ice for ten seconds. Strain into the shot glass. Slightly less foam, same flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a China White shot?
Half an ounce of vodka, half an ounce of Irish cream, and half an ounce of white creme de cacao, shaken with ice and strained into a chilled shot glass.
How strong is a China White?
Around 22 percent ABV in the shot glass. The vodka pulls the strength up and the dairy softens how it lands. About one and a half standard drinks in a single shot.
What does a China White taste like?
Cold cream first, soft chocolate in the middle, a clean vodka-vanilla finish. Sweeter than a White Russian, less syrupy than a Mudslide.
Why is it called China White?
The name describes the off-white colour the drink takes on once shaken. Bar-board branding from the early 2000s, no further story.
Can I make a China White without vodka?
Yes. Drop the vodka and bump the other two ingredients to three quarters of an ounce each. Sweeter, less alcoholic, drinks closer to a dessert spoon.
Can I make it layered instead of shaken?
Yes. Pour the white creme de cacao first, layer Irish cream over a bar spoon, float vodka on top. Drinks slightly different, looks like a small B-52.
How many calories are in a China White?
Around 100 calories per shot. The Irish cream is the heaviest contributor. Skip the cream and the shot drops below 70 calories but is no longer a China White.
Can I make a non-alcoholic version?
Use cold strong coffee plus chocolate syrup plus half-and-half in equal parts. Different drink in flavour but in the right shape.
What glass should I serve it in?
A chilled 30 ml or one-ounce shot glass. Chill it in the freezer for ten minutes beforehand to keep the dairy crisp.
What other shots are similar?
A Buttery Nipple, a Slippery Nipple, a Mudslide shot, and a B-52. All four sit in the creamy or layered shot family with Irish cream as a central texture.
More Like This
More drinks in the same family when the night calls for them.
