November 8 – National Harvey Wallbanger Day
Do you know the history of the Harvey Wallbanger?
Well it’s National Harvey Wallbanger Day on November 8th, so now’s the time to raise a glass to this renowned vodka based tipple.
This famous cocktail is believed to have been invented in the early 1950’s by Donato Duke Antone, a world champion mixologist who owned Dukes Blackwatch bar on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood. Duke is understood to have named the cocktail after a beach surfer from Manhattan named Tom Harvey who regularly visited his bar.
The drink shot to stardom in the late 60’s after a marketing director for a company importing Galliano discovered the cocktail, and created a surfer-themed ad campaign, which led the drink to become a popular choice in the disco era.
For those of you not familiar with a Harvey Wallbanger, it’s a simple blend of the following ingredients:
– 3 parts Vodka
– 1 part Galliano
– 6 parts fresh orange juice
Stir the vodka and orang juice with ice in a highball glass, then float the Galliano on top and garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.
Harvey Wallbanger Trivia
The phrase Harvey wallbanger has been adopted over the years, including:
– The SAS referred to C4 explosive charges as Harvey wall-bangers
– Harvey Wallbanger is sometimes used to refer to the Wall Follower maze solving algorithm
– In CB slang, a Harvey Wallbanger is a drunk driver who zig zags across the road
– Harvey Wallbanger was references in the movies See No Evil, Hear no Evil and Knight and Day.
What’s your Harvey Wallbanger?
