Ah, the White Russian. It’s a classic, albeit one that’s properly filed under “guilty pleasures” in the recipe box. But this well-known blend of vodka, coffee liqueur and heavy cream is full of surprises. Here are five White Russian facts that you probably didn’t know:

1. THE WHITE RUSSIAN IS A RELATIVELY MODERN DRINK.

There’s no documented evidence of a White Russian until into the 1960s. The 1961-edition Diner’s Club Drink Book gave a recipe for a Black Russian, minus the cream, with a footnote suggestion that adding dairy to the drink would create a variation known as the White Russian.

2. THE DUDE SAVED THE WHITE RUSSIAN FROM OBSCURITY.

The White Russian’s starring role in the 1998 Coen Brothers classic, The Big Lebowski, catapulted the drink to cult classic status. Our hero, The Dude, drinks eight “Caucasians” throughout the course of the film—nine if you count the one he drops after (spoiler alert) being drugged at porn mogul Jackie Treehorn’s mansion. His trip to the local supermarket in search of cream sets a key subplot in motion. It’s hard to believe it now, but before the movie brought the drink to millions of new fans, it was lapsing into obscurity.