Announcing Harvey Mimosa
Miss Mimosa is honored to announce the birth of Harvey Mimosa. Baby Harvey Mimosa weighs in at 6 ounces and shares the orange coloring of his mother as well as her sparkling personality. It is also apparent that there is a vanilla and anise taste present. The mother confirmed that there is a touch of Italian Galliano L’ Autentico in the father’s heritage. When pressed, Miss Mimosa confirmed the rumors that Baby Harvey Mimosa is descendent of Harvey Wallbanger.
Members of recent generations of bar goers may not recognize the name of the famous cocktail, Harvey Wallbanger. Born in California in the 1950s, Harvey became very popular in the early 1970s. He was considered very smooth and sweet. Many first-time drinkers mistakenly dismissed Harvey Wallbanger as a “ladies” drink. Galliano L’ Autentico provides an almost candy taste to the orange juice that is the main mixture of the drink. Galliano L’ Autentico may be sweet, however, is a liqueur with 85 proof. Also, this sweet combination hides that Harvey Wallbanger is part Russian. Harvey’s grandfather Smirnoff adds a jigger of 80 proof or higher vodka hidden behind the sweetness. Together, that is a potent punch and stronger than many cocktails.
Distractors of Harvey Wallbanger, said he is just a common drink, with some window dressing provided by the Galliano L’ Autentico. He is just a screwdriver or in more polite company called a vodka and Orange Juice. Miss Mimosa admits that even in his heyday, she and Mr. Wallbanger did not run in the same social circles. He was mostly found in cocktail lounges and discos, while she was a frequent fixture in special brunches, intermissions at the ballet and operas, and of course served in the first class section of airplanes.
Harvey Wallbanger Is Sneaky
This author will admit that for years Harvey Wallbanger was my favorite drink. It was the first cocktail that I had. Over the years, however, as the drink lost its popularity it even became difficult to find places that serve it. Galliano L’ Autentico is now sometimes difficult to locate in liquor stores even.
I do have a “funny” antidote on the impact a Harvey Wallbanger can have on those not knowing how it is made. One dreary afternoon, before Yong Suk and I were married, we had a couple over for the afternoon. I worked with Ernie, and his then girl friend and later wife Yong Hee was a close friend with Yong Suk. Ernie brought over a couple of gallons of orange juice and a bottle of Galliano L’ Autentico. He told the girls that the Galliano L’ Autentico was an herb drink and was like a liquid candy. That is a true statement. It is made with a combination of over 30 herbs and spices. However, as we pledge in a court of law it is not the truth and the whole truth. Galliano L’ Autentico is 42.3% alcohol by volume so 85 proof.
Ernie also failed to tell them that the “Orange Juice” had vodka added making it screwdrivers. We sat on the floor at a small floor table playing a Korean card game. It was girls vs boys and since the girls had been playing the game since childhood, they initially were winning very easily. However, as the volume of remaining orange juice and Galliano reduced the girls were losing more often. After an hour or more, the girls decided that the snacks needed to be replenished. Yong Hee stood up and fell onto Ernie. Yong Suk jumped up to help her friend, and immediately sat back down. The girls decided that the boys could get their own snacks and the girls went to take a nap.
Enjoying a Baby Harvey Mimosa
If you read between the lines above you can see that a Harvey Mimosa is just a variation of the two drinks, Harvey Wallbanger and the classic Mimosa. You can look at a Harvey Mimosa as being a Harvey Wallbanger where you replace the vodka with a sparkling wine or as a Mimosa with the addition of Galliano L’ Autentico. While a Harvey Wallbanger is generally served in a tall cocktail glass, your first choice of glassware for the Harvey Mimosa may be a chilled champagne flute. This drink is best made in the glass.
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Ingredients
Galliano L’ Autentico half ounce per drink
Champagne or other sparkling wine about 3 ounces
Orange Juice about 3 ounces.
Directions
- Add half of a shot of Galliano to the glass
- With the glass tilted slightly, slowly pour the wine into the glass until about half full.
- Slowly add the orange juice.
- A slight gentle stir
A Harvey Mimosa is a great addition to a brunch or light lunch. It will likely be something unique for your guest. Galliano L’ Autentico is available in a half bottle that is 375ml, that about 12.5 ounces. So, a bottle will give you about 25 servings.
