HARVEY WALLBANGER
The Harvey Wallbanger: A 1970s Marketing Success
The Harvey Wallbanger's creation is attributed to bartender Donato "Duke" Antone at the Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood during the early 1950s.
However, the drink didn't gain widespread popularity until the late 1960s and early 1970s when marketing executive George Bednar created an extensive promotional campaign for Galliano liqueur, according to Liquor.com.
The marketing campaign featured a fictional surfer character named Harvey who loved the drink so much that after consuming too many, he would bang into walls while leaving the bar. This colorful backstory, combined with aggressive promotion, turned the Harvey Wallbanger into one of the most popular cocktails of the 1970s, as noted in Difford's Guide.
The cocktail is essentially a Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) with a float of Galliano, an Italian herbal liqueur with vanilla and anise notes. The Galliano adds complexity and a distinctive yellow color to the simple orange juice and vodka base, according to Punch.
The Harvey Wallbanger became synonymous with 1970s disco culture and remains one of the era's most recognizable drinks. The cocktail's popularity declined dramatically in the 1980s as vodka cocktails evolved and the drink became seen as dated. Today the Harvey Wallbanger is primarily enjoyed as a retro novelty, though it represents an important example of how marketing can create cocktail trends.
RECIPE:
1.5 oz vodka
4 oz fresh orange juice
1/2 oz Galliano
Orange slice and cherry for garnish
Method:
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Add vodka and orange juice, then stir to combine.
Float Galliano on top by pouring slowly over the back of a bar spoon.
Garnish with orange slice and cherry.