The Originals

The Original Galliano coffee cocktail, or rather call it a mini-cocktail is the Galliano hot shot. A surprisingly delicious and great looking (after dinner) treat to impress your guests. The original Gallliano Hot Shot is a legend in Scandinavia. Overnight, in the 1980s, the Galliano Hot Shot made its first appearance as the undisputed choice of a heart-warming drink. 15 ml Anisette was replaced with Galliano in Bosse Bergström’s entry shot for the Coffee Drink Competition in the Swedish mountains. Galliano Hot Shot became so popular that to this day, many Northerners claim that Galliano brand had to open a distillery in the middle of the Swedish forest to meet the demand!

What’s more, wherever in Sweden you go, some of the locals will claim that they know the person who first created the Hot Shot, regardless of whether you are in downtown Stockholm, in the woods somewhere or enjoying sun on the beach. All of that does not really matter. What matters is that we all love Hot Shots!

How to make this mini-cocktail? You need to pour one part each of Galliano, coffee and heavy cream. How do you do it then?  First we pour Galliano into a shot glass. Then, we will layer coffee and cream on top of Galliano using a bar or teaspoon.  Dip the spoon into the Galliano (just the tip!) and carefully pour filter coffee to create a beautiful layer. Do the same with lightly whipped heavy cream Lightly whipped is the key word here! At last, you have succeeded and can enjoy the moment. At least two Hot Shots and at with least one other person. See, having Hot Shots is a ritual.

Another original classic Galliano cocktails is the famous Harvey Wall banger. The original Harvey Wallbanger is a fresh and easy cocktail made with Vodka, orange juice and a float of Galliano. The Harvey Wallbanger gained popularity during the disco era of the 1970s, becoming one of the most famous of the “disco drinks” set. The story goes that Californian surfer Harvey won an important surfing competition and went into a bar to celebrate with his favourite drink. He apparently imbibed too much and, staggering out of the bar, banged his surfboard from wall to wall. His friends nicknamed him ‘Harvey Wallbanger’. The nickname transferred itself to his favourite drink and a legend was born.

To make this classic Wallbanger a bit more contemporary, replace the Vodka for Gin, add fresh lemon juice for a more bracing acidity and fill up with freshly squeezed orange juice. Fresh to the max. You will like it!

Should we mention the “fluffy” orange juice? The bartenders at Dante, NYC, are quickly blending the orange juice to aerate it when making Garibaldi cocktails( Campari, OJ – super sorry if I am stating the obvious here!)

The third original Galliano cocktail is the Golden Cadillac. This creamy classic Martini-style cocktail is light on the alcohol and pairs nicely with almost any sweet dessert. Especially if it includes chocolate.

The Golden Cadillac was created in 1952 at a restaurant named Poor Red’s in El Dorado, California, which stands there to this day ready for visitors with freshly made cocktails.  In celebration of a couple’s engagement, the bartender mixed up this drink and told them to name it, which they did after their yellow-colored car parked outside.