Headbangers meet Harvey Wallbanger!

In the topsy turvy world of Heavy Metal music, aficionados of the genre are often referred to as headbangers after the signature dance move. But, people were banging their heads long before the first screeching tones of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Blue cheer ushered in what would become a way of life centered around sex, and drugs, and rock and roll. The story goes that, in 1952, Donato “Duke” Antone made invented the Harvey wallbanger. And, today, we celebrate Harvey Wallbanger day. According to legend, a local surfer named Tom Harvey would frequent Donato’s bar on the sunset strip. Donato would take a screwdriver (vodka and Orange Juice) and spike it with Galliano. After a few of these, surfer Harvey would, literally, bang into walls. Surfers in the 50’s were outcasts much like “metalheads” in later decades. So, Headbangers meet Harvey Wallbanger!

The drink was only popular for a very short time, then disappeared for a while. During the ’70’s it came back with a vengeance. Its resurgence has a lot to do with the marketing geniuses at McKesson Importers (Who owned Galliano). In 1968, they began an advertising campaign featuring the Harvey Wallbanger that would make Galliano a household name. Then they changed the Galliano recipe and disappeared into obscurity for a while. But, it is sneaking back into bar menus since they changed back to the original recipe.

Is the timing of Galliano a coincidence? What do you think? Headbangers meet Harvey Wallbanger!

Not to play conspiracy theorist, but it’s pretty suspicious that headbanging music began to take off at the same time that McKesson Started pushing Harvey Wallbangers. Unfortunately, Alcohol couldn’t compete with the heavier drugs available on the rock and roll scene. So, the marriage was short lived. I remember the bottle of Galliano on my parent’s liquor shelf. I thought of it as an old person’s drink. But, that didn’t stop a teenager from sucking down a few Wallbangers to the rocking sounds of Judas Priest, Black sabbath, and Rainbow.

So, now that Galliano has gone back to their original recipe, Maybe it’s time for Metal and the rest of the world to re-embrace the Harvey Wallbanger. It’s a simple cocktail, and it’s loaded with Vitamin C. Here is the recipe in a nutshell:

1. 3 Parts Vodka
2. 1 Part Galliano
3. 6 Parts Orange Juice

Traditionally, it is garnished with and orange slice and a cherry. We can spice it up a little. Maybe float a shot of Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or fireball in it. Perhaps a Fennel Stick to stir. Or, A vanilla Bean Tuille could be a nice touch. No matter how you drink it, the galliano is the difference. Otherwise, it’s just a screwdriver.

What is Galliano?

We keep bringing it up. Galliano is an Italian liqueur. it has a sweet flavor of anise, vanilla, and old world herbs and spices. It is similar to Pernod, Sambucca, or anisette. It is sold in a distinctive tall round bottle. And, it has a golden complexion that is hard to miss. It goes well with baking and seafood dishes like oysters and shrimp. But, it also adds a sweet, earthy edge to cocktails. That is why Donato added it to the classic screwdriver. It took a mundane mixture of orange juice and Vodka to new heights. So, Let’s celebrate Harvey Wallbanger day like it’s 1969 again. Crank up the turntable, put on some metal, and suck down that juice. Headbangers meet Harvey Wallbanger!