Popular around the same time that this hi-fi was considered cutting-edge technology, the Harvey Wallbanger is rarely found on a cocktail menu these days – but in our opinion, not for good reason. Although its setting, colour, and glass may make it look dated, the Harvey Wallbanger is still a tasty and unique cocktail. So much so that the Harvey Wallbanger has its own national drink day, and it just passed on November 8th.
One of a number of famous drinks created by bartender Donato ‘Duke’ Antone at his Los Angeles bar, the Blackwatch, the Harvey Wallbanger has an infamous creation story. Apparently suffer Tom Harvey got so drunk from it that he started running into the walls, and so the Harvey Wallbanger was born. In fact, it is believed that the Harvey Wallbanger was originally a different drink called Duke’s Screwdriver, and was renamed by George Bednar who in 1966 became marketing director of McKesson Imports Co, which handled Galliano, the key ingredient in a Wallbanger. Duke’s Screwdriver wasn’t very interesting, Harvey Wallbanger on the other hand was entirely marketable. And so it was born…
Cocktail Tools
1 cocktail shaker and Boston glass or tin
1 jigger/spirit measure
1 Hawthorne cocktail strainer
1 fine mesh strainer
1 cocktail pick/stick
1 eco-friendly straw (optional)
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Harvey Wallbanger
Ingredients
- ice
- 50ml vodka
- 1 large or 2 small oranges, juiced (see tip, below)
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 15ml Galliano
For the garnish
- 1 cocktail cherry
- 1 orange slice
Method
- STEP 1
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, orange and lemon juice. Shake together until the outside of the shaker feels cold.
- STEP 2
Add a few ice cubes to a tall collins glass, then carefully double-strain the cocktail into it. Add more ice to fill the glass, if needed, then slowly pour the Galliano over the top. Thread the cherry and orange slice onto a cocktail stick, then place across the rim of the glass.
