Harvey Wallbanger (GCNY)
Stir, strain, up.
- The lemon helps. If using whipped cream vodka, may be too sweet. Sub yellow chartreuse for galliano.
- Good but lacks of complexity
- Blood Orange Margarita (Ben Davidson) — Blanco tequila, Triple sec, Campari, Blood Orange Juice, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Salt
- Velvet Fog — Orange vodka, Falernum, Bitters, Orange juice, Lime juice, Orange peel, Nutmeg
- Pilgrim — Puerto Rican Rum, Orange liqueur, Allspice Dram, Bitters, Orange juice, Lime juice, Nutmeg
- Pink Cougar — Citrus vodka, Limoncello, Triple sec, Lemon juice, Cranberry juice, Grenadine
- Valou — Grappa, Aperol, Campari, Curaçao, Orange bitters, Orange juice, Lemon juice
While I don't make this cocktail as listed, the Harvey Wallbanger is one of my favorites despite being a very simple vodka(!?) cocktail. It all begins and ends with the oranges, since the juice is THE major flavor component. I learned this when I moved to California and had my own orange trees to work with--this drink took on a whole new dimension as a result. The best juice for this cocktail (and other orange juice containing drinks) is fresh-squeezed from oranges of proper ripeness. Slightly under-ripe to ripe is good, anything drifting into overly sweet/over-ripe is not. There should be some tanginess to the juice, but not the over-ripe sickly sweet, dark bitter/off taste of post-season oranges or many prepared juices/concentrates. I often use small oranges for this, little ones you will never see in the store.
When fresh squeezed, there is considerable oil from the orange zest, and that greatly augments the flavor. With good fresh oranges, omit the lemon juice in this recipe, you won't need it or want it. This way doesn't require any orange bitters either--the squeezed zest is supplying that. Getting the right oranges does make the drink somewhat seasonal for me, from December through about May covering the two seasons when the Washington and Valencia oranges consecutively are at their best.
I often make this by squeezing around 3-4 ounces of orange juice directly into a double rocks glass, then add 1.5 oz vodka (Sobieski). I don't do any straining of the juice unless there are seeds. I add ice and stir in the glass, then float the Galliano. If you want alcohol heat, this won't have it (unless you double the vodka), but it is so tasty.
