Alabama Slammer

The Alabama Slammer was probably invented at the University of Alabama in the 1970s, and in its original incarnation was a shot, not a full-blown cocktail. The slammer in its name is also derived from its former form. “To slam a drink …” translates as to exen a drink, that is, to drink it in one go. Its sweet ingredients mask its high alcohol content, which is why it became a symbol of the club scene.

The taste of the cocktail is reminiscent of a sweetened iced tea made from oranges and peaches, which is mainly due to the orange juice, sloe gin^* and Southern Comfort^*. Tom Cruise immortalized the drink in the movie Cocktail (1988) with the quote, “I see America drinking the fabulous cocktails I make, Americans getting stinky on something I stir or shake, The Sex on the Beach, the Schnapps made from peach, The Velvet Hammer, The Alabama Slammer.”