Alabama Slammer
Amaretto, sloe gin, Southern Comfort and orange juice. A 1970s college drink that is sweeter than it needs to be and more drinkable than it has any right to be.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a highball glass with ice.
Add the amaretto, sloe gin, Southern Comfort, orange juice and lemon juice to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake for 10 seconds.
Strain into the glass.
Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Fresh orange juice and a squeeze of lemon are what keep it from being syrup; every ingredient but the juice is sweet.
- A good sloe gin gives the drink its fruit and its colour. A cheap one just adds sugar.
- As a shot: equal parts of the three liqueurs with a splash of juice, shaken and strained. It is the same drink in a hurry.
Common mistakes
- Carton orange juice. It is the only sour thing in the glass and needs to be fresh.
- Adding vodka 'for strength'. It is strong enough and the vodka adds nothing.
- Serving it without plenty of ice.
A few good questions.
What is Southern Comfort?
A whiskey-based liqueur flavoured with fruit and spice, from New Orleans originally, at 35% ABV. It is sweet and peachy and is the Alabama Slammer's backbone.
Is it a shot or a cocktail?
Both. The long version over ice with juice is the drink; the shot is the same liqueurs with a splash of juice.
Why 'Alabama'?
The University of Alabama claims it, though no one can prove where it started.
How strong is it?
Around 15% ABV as a long drink — three ounces of liqueur in a five-ounce drink. It does not taste it, which is the danger.
Variations
- Harvey Wallbanger — Vodka, orange juice and Galliano.
- Sloe Gin Fizz — Sloe gin, lemon, sugar and soda.
- Amaretto Sour — Amaretto, lemon and egg white.
- Tequila Sunrise — Tequila, orange juice and grenadine.
Where it comes from
c. 1970s · Tuscaloosa, Alabama (claimed) · University of Alabama
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Alabama Slammer is usually said to have been born at the University of Alabama in the 1970s, which is plausible and undocumented; it spread through the Southern college bars of the decade as both a shot and a long drink, and Tom Cruise mixed one on screen in Cocktail in 1988, which fixed it in the national repertoire. The recipe wobbles — some versions add vodka, some drop the sloe gin — but the core is amaretto, sloe gin and Southern Comfort lengthened with orange juice. It belongs to the same family as the Harvey Wallbanger and the Tequila Sunrise: the 1970s orange-juice highball.
Sources
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Alabama Slammer, 2015 (reference)
- Cocktail (film), Touchstone Pictures, 1988 (film)
Strength. About 1.42 US standard drinks at an estimated 13% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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