Cooking Lesson #763: Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail?

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin”? The Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail was a nice, simple way to dress up the basic screwdriver, a classic entry-level cocktail. This became a house special drink at my waterfront Customs House Restaurant in Foster City, California. If you want to make it at home, you do need to purchase a tall bottle of Galliano, but once it's on the liquor shelf, you'll have enough Galliano for 50 or so Harvey Wallbangers, so you'll be in good shape.
 
"As with many cocktails, there are a couple of claims to the creation of the Harvey Wallbanger. One is that it may have been created as an "all I got left in the bar" drink. Supposedly, the host of a party in the mid-60s had only vodka, orange juice, and Galliano available. After a couple of these drinks, a guest named Harvey was found to be banging his head against the wall and cursing the drink that caused him so much misery. 

That's a fun story, but it's not all that believable. The accepted truth attributes the Harvey Wallbanger's creation to Donato "Duke" Antone who owned Duke's Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood. It was at this Sunset Boulevard joint in 1952 that Antone created the cocktail. He named it after a local surfer and bar regular named Tom Harvey. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
 
It was not until the late 1960s that a marketing director for the company importing Galliano "discovered" the drink. He created a surfer-themed ad campaign with the tagline "Harvey Wallbanger is the name, and I can be made!" By the time the disco era began, the drink was on everyone's lips. The 70s may have been the cocktail's glory days, but little gems like the Harvey Wallbanger are still around and are unforgettable.
You can make a few adjustments to the recipe and pour more vodka or less orange juice if you like, though there's a balance to the recipe as written.

Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces vodka
4 ounces orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/2 ounce Galliano L'Autentico Liqueur (the one and only / there is no substitute)
1 orange wheel, for garnish
1 Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Directions

1. Pour the vodka and orange juice into a tall, chilled Collins glass with ice cubes.
2. Layer the Galliano on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a bar spoon.
3. Garnish with an orange wheel and maraschino cherry.
4. Serve and enjoy.

ChefSecret:  Do a switch-a-roo by using tequila instead of vodka and, you'll have a Freddie Fuddpucker.

Quip of the Day:  Harvey's grandfather clock suddenly stops working right one day. He loads it into his van and takes it to a clock repair shop. In the shop is a little old man who insists he is Swiss but has a heavy German accent. He asks Harvey, "Vat sims to be ze problem?"
Harvey says, "I'm not sure, but it doesn't go 'tick-tock-tick-tock' anymore. Now it just goes 'tick...tick...tick.'"
The old man says, "Mmm-Hm!" and steps behind the counter, where he rummages around a bit. He emerges with a huge flashlight and walks over to the grandfather clock. He turns the flashlight on and shines it directly into the clock’s face. Then he says in a menacing voice, "Ve haf vays of making you tock!"
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