galliano

If you're hosting a Mardi Gras brunch, there's only one drink to serve, and no, it's not a bloody Mary, it's a Ramos gin fizz. However, if your soirée is after dark, you've got to make a huge round of hurricanes! This classic recipe comes from Dale DeGroff and features two kinds of rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and passion fruit nectar. To batch it, multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of people who will attend your party. For those who don't have time to make a libation from scratch, I recommend ordering hurricane mixer from Pat O'Brien's; it's the bar in New Orleans that made the hurricane famous.

To see my favorite recipe, keep reading.

First it was tiki drinks, and now, the Harvey Wallbanger — the most overwrought cocktail of the recently reexamined fern bar era — has been rearing its head all over the San Francisco bar scene.

I turned to fern bar expert Martin Cate to answer why the Wallbanger's come back into the fray.

"People are still using the tiki era as inspiration for drinks, but now they're saying, 'What other eras can we draw from?'" he explained of the recent rumored fern bar revival. "People are looking for something fun and different to grab onto."
As for the original Harvey, it's good, but not great, says Cate. "It doesn't have enough acid, and it's awfully sweet. But there's flexibility with Galliano, and a little spice notes give it more pep." To bring the Wallbanger up to speed with today's complex cocktails, Martin shared with us his interpretation of what a modern-day drink at Henry Africa's could look like. His new and improved version, after the break.

OK, so the fern bar isn't ripe for revival just yet, but the Harvey Wallbanger, the mainstay of that era, has made something of a comeback.

"Harvey is essentially a lemonade, only with vodka," cocktail historian Martin Cate explained of the familiar-flavored drink. "People love orange juice, vanilla, the herbal quality."

Indeed, the Harvey has managed to top San Francisco menus in many incarnations: with bubbly, alongside brunch, and as a classic pitcher standard — just like in the 1970s when, Cate said, the drink "became a cultural phenomenon.
"They used to sell a party kit with cartoons dressed up named Harvey Wallbanger, and it gave you a recipe for how to make a giant punch bowl. The Wallbanger was a big deal."

To enjoy a blast from the past in your own home, you'll need Galliano, an anise-tinged Italian liqueur. Cate recommends using the brand's new formula, which has more alcohol and less vanilla sweetness, and he prefers to incorporate the liqueur rather than floating it. To achieve an authentic version of the seventies classic, read more.

Like the competitors in the World Cup, the menu for my viewing party consists of dishes from all over the globe. For the drinks, I'm offering one sparkling specialty cocktail and assortment of beers. The signature drink is a punch that features Italian spirits: Galliano, Aperol, and Prosecco. When floated on top, fresh citrus and berries provide a festive touch to the concoction. I'll stock my fridge with beers from participating countries. Beverages and More has a great selection of imported beers. Tecate from Mexico, Becks from Germany, Fosters from Australia, Quilmes from Argentina, Bass from England — there are too many options to choose from!

Learn the easy punch recipe after the jump.

My Greek feast is taking place on Saturday after a day of wine tasting, but our Dionysus-themed girls weekend begins on Friday night. To kick start the event, I'll greet each girl with a cocktail when she arrives. My sister has purchased golden Greek laurels for everyone to wear in their hair, so my cocktail is inspired by this party gift. It's called a Lemony Laurel and is a sunny, refreshing concoction that combines a lemon and bay leaf syrup with citrus vodka and Galliano. It sounds like a heavenly beverage that would be delicious enough for a goddess to drink! Get the recipe I'll be using when you read more

When I was 21 and would raid my dad's liquor cabinet, I was always intrigued by a tall thin bottle filled with a bright yellow liquor. Called Galliano, I wondered if the spirit was named for John Galliano, the designer at Dior.

It's not: Galliano is actually named after an Italian hero, Giuseppe Galliano. The sweet liqueur has a complex vanilla-anise-citrus flavor and is most commonly used in a cocktail called Harvey Wallbanger.

However, Galliano can be used in many other cocktails, like this one, named for the town where it's made. An elegant combination of Galliano, sparkling apple juice, and Prosecco, it's a refreshing bubbly beverage. It makes a great start to the weekend, so get the recipe after the jump.