The Harvey Wallbanger, like many popular cocktails from the seventies-eighties era, was the brilliant brainchild of a marketing genius. In 1969, George Bednar became the US marketing director for the importer of Galliano, a seldom used anise flavored herbal liqueur from Italy. He found a willing partner in Donato “Duke” Antone, a retired bartender living in Connecticut with a big personality, who helped him come up with a simple drink featuring Galliano (vodka, orange juice, Galliano). Together they created a backstory involving Antone’s famous “Blackwatch Bar” on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, where in 1952 he invented the drink for a Manhattan Beach surfer named Tom Harvey. A cartoonish surfer drawing was created with a tag line and the drink became immensely popular in the seventies. Of course none of it, not even the famous bar, ever existed, but they sure sold a lot of Galliano. The liqueur recipe was altered as well, and truth be told it was an awful drink. Which just goes to show … something about America, I suppose. Antone was a self-promoting superstar, and his obituary claimed that he also invented the Rusty Nail, the White Russian, and the Freddy Fudpucker (don’t ask), among other famous drinks, and that he was a WWII recipient of two silver stars, two bronze stars, two Purple Hearts and a Croix de Guerre. I mean, seriously, wouldn’t you want to have a drink with this guy?

For the actual toast I’m making to the Memo Pad puzzle box, however, I’ve brought us into the modern era. It’s a fun challenge to turn a Harvey Wallbanger into a delicious cocktail, and many modern bars have done it successfully. It helps that they have restored the original Galliano recipe now. My version takes the original ingredients, but swaps the vodka for gin, and connects the dots between this drink and another classic, the Last Word (which ties in the writing theme here quite nicely). To make a Last Word we need a base spirit such as gin (check), an herbal liqueur such as Galliano (check), a citrus such as OJ (check), and a sweet liqueur. Call me bananas, but I went with a banana liqueur. Don’t judge until you’ve tried it, because it works and is delicious. May I present, the Memo Pad: the Last Word in Wallbangers. Cheers!

Memo Pad

1 ½ oz gin

½ oz Galliano

¾ oz banana liqueur

2 ½ oz fresh orange juice

Shake together with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Garnish with your favorite tall tale.

For more about the Memo Pad puzzle box see:

Boxes and Booze: Take a Memo