How To Make Alabama Slammers

If you make Alabama Slammers with anything other than Southern Comfort, are they still Alabama Slammers? The purists among us will yell a resounding NO! But hey, its your cocktail, you made it and you can call it anything you like, cant you?

The real deal in Alabama Slammers made its appearance way back in 1975, just after Lynyrd Skynyrd let loose with Sweet Home, Alabama on our decibel-starved eardrums! Im told that its against state law to sing it without a Slammer in your hand! Therefore, its clear that you need to be able to mix up a bunch of these babies for your next backyard barbecue. Heres how to make one genuine Slammer and you can multiply this one by the number of guests youre expecting to show up,

ounce of Southern Comfort
ounce of Amaretto liqueur
ounce of good vodka
ounce of sloe gin
3 ounces of orange juice
an orange slice and maraschino cherry for garnish

Make sure that your Collins glass is well frosted; place it in your freezer for five minutes. Chill your cocktail shaker well and half-fill it with crushed ice (use filtered water for your ice, its so much better). Pour in the above ingredients, one at a time and shake it thoroughly while you dance around the deck. Filter it into your Collins glass; add the cherry and the orange slice and you are ready to dance around the deck again!

Going back to our first question is it still an Alabama Slammer if you use bourbon or something similar? Its going to taste a bit different but it doesnt matter as long as you like it. But you must use the Amaretto which is made from almonds and apricot pits and has a bitter-sweet taste to it which cuts the sweetness in your Alabama Slammer. The sloe gin is necessary too as it tastes very different from the gins were accustomed to in our gin martinis. Sloe gin is made from ripe blackthorn or sloe berries which gives it its familiar red color. A bottle of sloe gin is an important part of your assortment of spirits if you enjoy making cocktails.

You can make frozen Alabama Slammers too and theyre perfect for a summer evening with friends. Youll need your blender for this put in half a cup of ice and one ounce each of good-quality vodka and Southern Comfort (or your selection of the week). Then add half an ounce of grenadine or sloe gin and a good-sized portion of orange sorbet. Blend for a moment on medium speed and add some fresh orange juice to thin it a little. Use orange wheels to garnish the glass and you have an Alabama Slammer Smoothie to serve your guest again, just multiply the amounts for a group of people.

Try this one for your next sports celebration mix your Alabama Slammers and then include a Kamikaze. Thats made with an ounce of vodka and half an ounce each of Cointreau or Triple Sec and lime juice shake it all together and you have Red Death to go along with Sudden Death in the game.

Make sure everyone either stays overnight or takes a taxi home these are lethal!