Harvey Wallbanger Recipe
A Screwdriver with a float of Galliano: vodka and orange juice topped with the liqueur's vanilla and anise.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 13%
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- Vodka45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh orange juice90 ml (3 oz)
- Galliano15 ml (0.5 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Pour in the vodka and orange juice and stir briefly.
- Float the Galliano on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a spoon.
- Garnish with a long curl of orange peel.
Garnish
Long curl of orange peel
What it tastes like
Fruit notes come forward.
The technique
Layering. The liqueurs sit on each other by sugar density — the sweetest one goes in first, at the bottom. Each layer is poured slowly over the BACK of a bar spoon so it spreads instead of punching through. Rush it and the layers fold together, and there is no fixing that.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Vodka
- Vodka brings body and alcohol rather than flavour; its job is to get out of the way of everything else. Which is why, in a vodka drink, how fresh the juice is matters far more than the brand.
- Fresh orange juice
- Fresh orange juice. Carton juice is sugar-adjusted, so it sweetens the drink and drops its acidity; when you squeeze your own, pull back a little on the syrup.
The Story
Often credited to the bartender Donato "Duke" Antone, it became one of the defining American drinks of the 1970s on the back of a Galliano advertising campaign with a cartoon surfer.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Harvey Wallbanger mixed?
- It is layered and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Harvey Wallbanger?
- Roughly 13% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Harvey Wallbanger be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Harvey Wallbanger hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.