ALABAMA SLAMMER aka The Yellowhammer Cocktail
If you have a hankering to idle a few hours away in a rocking chair on your front porch after a day of running all over hell's half acre on errands this is the drink to idle away with. Cool and refreshing, pert with a kiss of peach mixed with the citrus and tingly spices dancing on the tongue, it'll surely wake up your down yonder.
An iconic 70s cocktail that was/is often served as a shooter (especially at Crimson Tide tailgate parties), the Alabama Slammer is also known as the Yellowhammer, so named because the Yellowhammer is Alabama's state bird. The original name, Alabama Slammer, hints at most likely the original version of this cocktail being a shot. It is believed to have first popped up in the late 60s at the University of Alabama. As it gained popularity the Alabama lost its Slammer and taller cocktail versions softened with orange juice replaced the collegiate, slam-worthy shooter. A few more drinking years down the country roads the Southern Comfort, sloe gin and OJ were left at the wayside and the Alabama picked up pineapple juice and vodka and turned into the Yellowhammer.
I believe if you want to stay true to the original you just can't leave out the Southern Comfort and sloe gin and the pineapple juice should be left with the Tiki drinks. All you truly need to balance out this drink is temper the sweet liqueurs with a bit of fresh lemon juice in addition to the fresh OJ and adjust the ratios. Now, think of it as a Screwdriver with a Southern kick.
Yup, not bad at all, especially now that Southern Comfort liqueur is again being distilled with a whiskey base as opposed to the harsher, cheaper neutral grain spirit of previous decades. We can thank Sazarac, who bought the SoCo brand in 2016, for that lovely, gentle switch back to a base that is much more sympatico with the fruits and spices of Martin Wilkes Heron's original Southern Comfort recipe. It definitely makes the Alabama (Slammer) a more graceful drink for today's more refined palates.
TheALABAMA(SLAMMER)
INGREDIENTS3/4 Oz. Southern Comfort1/2 Oz. Amaretto3/4 Oz. Sloe Gin2 Oz. Fresh Orange juice1 Oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
GarnishOrange SliceCocktail Cherry
DIRECTIONSPour the amaretto, sloe gin, and Southern Comfort into a highball glass. Top off with the fresh juices, add ice, stir, garnish and serve.
VOICEOVER VIDEO WITH INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS:FOR THE SHOOTER1/2 ounce of each spirit and 1/4 ounce of each juice, layered in a shot glass.
Alabama Day, the day Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state, is celebrated yearly on December 14th.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY