Moonriver #48 - Sweet Home Alabama

Today we'll swing by an old classic, its punchy siblings, and practice our alchemy in the construction of my own version.

Our case study falls the Alabama.  
  Simple cocktail; just a couple ingredients and some sour mix.  Let's try it out to get a feel for its many variations.

The Alabama

ACTUAL RECIPE
1.5 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Triple Sec
Fill with Sour Mix (2 oz recommended)

TASTING NOTES
+ Simple and sweet
+ Brandy and fruit is a always a great match
+ Reason this is a classic
+ Might even be "too" sweet

Alabama Slammer and its MANY Cousins

As is customary with so many older recipes, every braggart and boon under the pale white moon has had their way in the alchemical variations on a simple idea.  Some of these get pretty involved, but each holds to one dynamic truth: Southern Comfort pairs well with Amaretto.  The rest is garnish, displayed for you now.

Alabama Slammer (original) RECIPE
3/4 oz Orange Vodka (or just Vodka)
3/4 oz Southern Comfort
3/4 oz Amaretto
Dash of Sloe Gin or Grenadine
Fill with Orange Juice

TASTING NOTES
​+ This is Hawaiian Fruit Punch
+ A tiki drink if there ever was one
+ Sweet and masked (you could load this up with stronger liquors and no one would notice...which might be the point)
+ Orange foundation

Alabama Slammer 2
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Southern Comfort
Dash of Sloe Gin or Grenadine
Fill with Orange Juice
Shake and pour over ice

Alabama Slammer 3
1 oz Southern Comfort
1 oz Amaretto
Dash of Sloe Gin or Grenadine
Fill with Orange Juice
Shake and pour over ice

Alabama Slammer 4
1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Galliano (a sweet, herbal liqueur)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin
Fill with Orange Juice
Shake and pour over ice

Alabama Slammer 5
1/2 oz Whiskey (Rye recommended)
1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1/2 oz Amaretto
1/2 oz Sloe Gin
Fill with Orange Juice
Shake and pour over ice.

My Take - Orlandin Slammer

For those paying attention (at your chair or on the floor, you do you), you might have picked up on the basic flavor profile presented by these tiki tocks (tiki-cocktail = tock...I made a word).  The core of the drink is a fruity whiskey with an oak-y, cherry finish; the cloak is the orange juice - acidic, sweet, and masking.
  By now you all know my struggles in the Nine Hells Of GERD, so I made a rendition that I believe honors the original intention of the Slammer while lowering its acid content and using less ingredients.

Original Recipe - The Orland Slammer
1/2 Dry Curacao (the richer Triple Sec)
3/4 oz Orange Vodka
3/4 oz Bird Dog Black Cherry Whiskey
2 oz Sour Mix

TASTING NOTES
+ Dry Curacao does some heavy lifting and elevates the vodka
+ Orange punch with less cloy
+ Sweet and satisfying
+ Slight burn on the back
+ Bird Dog made something special that functions just as well as the Southern Comfort/Amaretto pairing, and it gets it done with a lower volume.

Imbibe well, my dear friends.
-Adamus