Stuart Forster lists the recipe for a classic cocktail providing details of how to make an Alabama Slammer.
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Looking for inspiration for delicious alcoholic drinks? This cocktail recipe is simple to follow. Why not unleash your inner mixologist and make an Alabama Slammer?
The Alabama Slammer recipe
Until last year I’d never tried an Alabama Slammer. That changed when I stayed at The Hope and Anchor at South Ferriby in Lincolnshire. It was one of the drinks on the gastropub’s cocktail list. I drank one before dinner and was impressed.
I reached for my phone to check what was in an Alabama Slammer and how to make them. As it’s a blend of just four ingredients, all of which are widely available, I decided that this was a cocktail I would try to make at home.
I’d previously seen the Alabama Slammer listed in books of cocktail recipes but never previously on drinks menus in the bars that I visit. This is a drink that fell out of fashion after its popularity peaked in the 1970s. It features Southern Comfort, almond liqueur, gin and orange juice.
The Alabama Slammer is now one of my go-to drinks for summer barbecues or when unwinding on a Saturday evening. It ticks all the boxes:
- It’s easy to make
- It tastes delicious
- It’s punchy
- It doesn’t feature hard to acquire ingredients
Classic Alabama Slammer ingredients
The classic Alabama Slammer is made with the following ingredients:
- 1 part Southern Comfort (25ml / 1 fluid ounce)
- One part Amaretto (25ml / 1 fluid ouce)
- 1 part sloe gin (25ml / 1 fluid ounce)
- 2 parts fresh orange juice (50ml / 2 fluid ounces)
The 1:1:1:2 ratio means that the Alabama Slammer is easy to scale up to serve in pitchers at parties and barbecues.
I find that sloe gin is the trickiest of this cocktail’s ingredients to find in local shops. If possible, it’s worth making an effort to get hold of a bottle. Using it results in a fruity, rounded cocktail that’s deep orange in colour.
Experimenting with substitutes has resulted in me being able to state with confidence that the Alabama Slammer also works well when mixed with pink gin from Lidl. Gins made with berries produce positive results too. My most recent mix made use of a Haysmith’s raspberry and thyme gin, bought from my local Aldi supermarket.
Ordering your ingredients online is an option. Sipsmith Sloe Gin is sold via Amazon:
So too is Gordon’s Sloe Gin:
Disarrono Amaretto is available in 70cl and litre bottles via Amazon:
How to make an Alabama Slammer
Purists tend to mix their Alabama Slammers with ice in a cocktail shaker, garnishing it with a Maraschino cherry and slice of orange. The classic serve is in a Collins glass (a tall, straight-sided glass).
If making just one Alabama Slammer I add the ingredients together in a long-stemmed gin glass, stir them and then add ice. I tend to dispense with the garnish. Who needs to faff about chopping fruit when there’s drinking to be done?
When mixing for friends, I simply multiply the quantities by the number of people present. I blend the ingredients together in a pitcher with ice.
If you like gin cocktails and fruity drinks this may well be one for you to try. I hope you enjoy making your Alabama Slammer. Feel free to leave a comment below to share how you get on or if you have suggestions on how to take the mix to the next level.
Further information
Enjoy reading well-crafted words about alcoholic beverages? Take a look at the Travel Distilled and A Lush Life Manual websites.
Remember to drink responsibly.
Stuart Forster, the author of this post, is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. He is a freelance journalist and is available for commissions.
Find this post on how to make an Alabama Slammer useful? You may also enjoy this delicious and easy espresso martini recipe.
Photographs illustrating this post are by Why Eye Photography.
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