Mind Eraser

The Mind Eraser is a fun drink that hails from the decade of so many other fun drinks: the 1980s. Combining vodka, coffee liqueur and sparkling water, it’s essentially a Black Russian with bubbles. And over the decades, it’s become a popular option for bar patrons seeking a boozy cocktail with a caffeinated kick.

The Black Russian was created in the late 1940s in Brussels, and since the drink’s inception, it has spawned numerous variations. That includes the White Russian, which adds cream to the combination of vodka and coffee liqueur. Those two base ingredients are topped with a splash of club soda, which adds a vein of effervescence throughout the drink, in the case of the Mind Eraser. And while the Black Russian sees a two-to-one mix of vodka and liqueur, the Mind Eraser is even easier to remember, calling for equal parts of the two liquids.

The cocktail can be made directly in the glass rather than shaken with ice. You can build it in any order you please, but many bartenders choose to make the Mind Eraser as a layered drink, in which each ingredient is stacked in the glass. To follow suit, start with the coffee liqueur, then slowly add the vodka followed by the club soda for a dark-to-clear effect from the bottom up. When consumed with a straw, you imbibe the liquids in order, tasting each layer as you down the drink.

No, the Mind Eraser won’t delete your intellect and memories, but it’s a potent cocktail. Have one or two, and the cares of the day will disappear. Drink too many too quickly, and you might enter a self-fulfilling prophecy—in which the cocktail lives up to its name.