Harvey Wallbanger

An Italian-accented riff on a screwdriver cocktail, the original Harvey Wallbanger recipe is credited to a midcentury American mixologist named Donato “Duke” Antone. As legend has it, Antone created the now-famous drink recipe at the Blackwatch Bar in Los Angeles sometime in the 1940s or 1950s. Like many Hollywood darlings, the cocktail wasn’t “discovered” right away: In the late 1960s, George Bednar, marketing director for McKesson Imports, the company that imported Italian liqueur Galliano to the United States, tasted Antone’s creation and was smitten. With a neutral vodka base and fresh orange juice, the Galliano shines here with notes of cooling anise, warm vanilla, and a woodsy, herbal backbone. Bednar rechristened the vodka cocktail the Harvey Wallbanger and used it to launch a national campaign encouraging home bartenders to throw cocktail parties in exchange for free merchandise. The campaign’s success turned the humble drink into a modern classic cocktail (and inspired home bakers to make citrusy, herbal Harvey Wallbanger cakes).

Since the Harvey Wallbanger is built in the glass you’ll sip it from, rather than in a cocktail shaker, it’s easy to scale up for brunch or a cocktail party. Use fresh-squeezed orange juice for the best flavor.