Slow, Comfortable Screw, Up against the Wall: that’s “slow” for sloe gin, “comfortable” for Southern Comfort, “screw” for vodka and orange juice, and “wall” for Galliano. (If you’ve never heard of this cocktail before, no, I did not make that clever, cheeky name up.)
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minutesIngredients
1½ oz. vodka [6 oz.]
1½ oz. grenadine [6 oz.]
½ oz. sloe gin [2 oz.]
½ oz. Southern Comfort [2 oz.]
½ oz. Galliano [2 oz.]
3 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice, strained [12 oz.]
Directions
- For a single cocktail, measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice until the ice barely starts to exceed the liquid. Cap it and give it a good, solid, 50 shakes. Pour. Knock the top of the shaker and pour the dirty ice to the cocktail to fill the glass (or use fresh ice).
- [For multiple cocktails, measure all ingredients into a sealable container. This can be done in advance and the mixture can be kept refrigerated. Shake moderately or stir, then measure 7-8 oz. per cocktail into a shaker. Add ice until the ice barely starts to exceed the liquid. Cap it, and give it a good, solid, 50 shakes. Pour. Knock the top of the shaker and add the dirty ice to the cocktails to fill the glasses (or use fresh ice).]
Notes
- Substitutions: whiskey for the Southern Comfort, vanilla liqueur for the Galliano. I haven’t tried either of these, but I’ve heard them suggested.
- If you decide to experiment with variations of this cocktail, treat the vodka and grenadine as a pair: either add them both, or don’t add either of them.
Slow Scew History and Variations
The Slow Screw (aka Sloe Screw) is a “disco cocktail,” invented during that era. I have a feeling that it was created so that you could ask a stranger if they wanted one, in between doing the Hustle and the Bump out on the dance floor, and see what they took you to mean. Cringe, I know … but did I mention it was the disco era?
The Slow Screw is an offshoot of the Screwdriver (vodka and OJ), and has a ton of variations. I tried them all, so that I could tell you which one is the best. You’re welcome. Yes, I tried all the screws: slow, slow and comfortable, slow and comfortable up against the wall, and slow and comfortable up against the wall Mexican style. I like slow and comfortable up against the wall best. You can pretty much guess what they all mean if you A) review the ingredient list, B) know that a Harvey Wallbanger is Screwdriver with Galliano, and C) make a lucky guess that “Mexican” adds tequila.
Curiously, many sources don’t use the word “up” in the name of this drink. But some add “long” in front of “slow,” which I quite like. A “long” drink is an old-fashioned name for a mixed drink … too old for me to know about, if it were not for the fact that the baroness offers “something long and cool” to Captain von Trapp in my favorite musical.
Brunch, Summertime, or Pre-Prohibition Meeting of the Ladies’ Historical Society?
Yes to all of those. It’d be at home in a dainty punch bowl, out on the deck in the hot sun, or in lieu of the far-too-obvious mimosa.
What does it taste like?
It tastes like fruit punch. It doesn’t even taste like there’s any alcohol in it, even though more than half of the ingredients by weight, are alcohol. The dilution that occurs in the shaker might bring that percentage down, but I’ll still tell you that once you’ve finished one, you’ll feel it.
But let’s talk about the fruit punch flavor. If it were a fruit punch, it’d be a good one. The flavor has a softness to it, but also a deepness. It can have a syrupy quality, but I feel that if it does, you didn’t shake it long enough. I have to admit that the fruitiness also has a candy-like quality, except that candy flavors are usually simple, and this cocktail’s flavor is complex.
Sloe Gin History and Info
The sloe berry is the fruit of the blackthorn bush. It’s the British who popularized making sloe berries into a liqueur. A liqueur begins with a base spirit, to which sweeteners and flavors are added. Sloe Gin is called “gin,” because the base spirit is gin. It is not a gin. It is made with gin.
When it comes to buying a bottle, good luck. Most often, you’ll find it in with the other liqueurs – and that’s always a hard section to search through – but some stores will accidentally stock it with the gins. So it might be extra tricky to find. However, it’s also a relatively unpopular liqueur (many stores don’t stock it) that is currently experiencing a comeback (many stores are out of the few bottles they do usually stock), so you might find it hard to find a bottle at all!
In the mid-20th-century, American producers stopped using sloe berries and instead made a cheap, overly-sweet liqueur using a neutral grain as a spirit, adding artificial flavoring. It looked like fake blood, and tasted like cough syrup. It was the gas station sushi of liqueurs. If you do decide to hunt down a bottle, don’t buy that substandard stuff. Definitely buy a British import.
Slow, Comfortable Screw, Up against the Wall
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Cocktail Builder, Difford’s Guide, Drink Nation, and “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against the Wall” in The American Bartenders School Guide to Drinks, by Jack Tiano (NY: Gallery Books, 1981), 92. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #5 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Did I read that right? Number five? Yes, number five!
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Wow what a fun history lesson on Sloe Gin! Also didn’t know where the term “long drink” came from!
Haha! It doesn’t come from The Sound of Music originally, but that’s where I know it from. Apparently, it goes back to the early 1800s.
I love sloe gin! I’d love to make it but where in the world do you get sloe berries?? Great drink.
Now there’s an interesting proposition! The brand I bought is Plymouth, in case you want to find a bottle. I’ve heard that you can find sloe berries on Etsy or eBay when they’re in season. I’ve also heard that you might source them through companies that cater to home brewing. You know, there was a nearby farmer who grew exotic fruits and especially berries. I used to go there every summer to get some. But one year, when I drove past, I saw that he’d cut down nearly his entire orchard! I never heard why, but what a loss! I don’t know if he’d’ve grown sloe berries, but he’d’ve been the first person I’d’ve gone to, to find out.
Une délicieuse boisson
Bises
Thanks!
It looks like a wonderful drink to celebrate the holidays.
Thanks for sharing all of that information. I love learning things like this.
Thank you!
I really like how this has a smooth fruit punch flavor… and those 50 solid shakes are sure a great way to get a little arm workout as well! 🙂
I hadn’t thought of the workout! Now I feel I should have twice as many of these! 🙂
Nice to know there is a use for Galliano other than a Harvey Wallbanger
Yes, I guess that’s true!
Cin cin alla nostra salute!!!
Cheers to you, too!
Well, from the name of this cocktail, I have to say that your life sounds a lot more exciting than mine. Sounds like a fun drink, Jeff. Thanks!
I have a very active imagination, at least. 🙂
Stunning colour and great flavour, Jeff! This cocktail looks bold, fun, and absolutely inviting.
Thank you, Ben! Yes, I love the color, too. I think the drink is much maligned, because of the cheesy name, and also because mixed drinks like this are currently eclipsed by more alcohol-forward cocktails. But it’s pretty tasty!
This drink sounds like such a fun discovery, love how its bold name matches the punchy flavours you described. The mix of heat, fruitiness, and that playful presentation definitely makes it something I’d try at least once, if only for the story that comes with it!
I made it because I had an ancient half-bottle of sloe gin that I wanted to use up, but then, just as I thought I was perfecting it, I ran out – and then it was nearly impossible to buy more! Once I found more, and got the recipe to exactly where I wanted it, then I was ready to upload it for posterity and be done with it, but I served one to a friend, and he raved over it! So now I’m thinking of giving it more appearances at get-togethers.
Un cóctel maravilloso con un color precioso ♥
Thank you! Yes, I love the color. too.
Hahaha, well the name alone makes it worthy! We will try this, if I can find the proper Sloe Gin. It looks like it is sold out at our Total Wine & More. Plymouth from England. I’ll keep digging!
You wouldn’t believe how many stores I went to before I found a bottle! And then I found “a” bottle.
Nos dejas un buenísima idea para tener en cuenta en las Fiestas que se aproximan. Un abrazo
Thank you! I’m serving them before Christmas dinner.
Perfect combination for a cocktail, and the color is irresistible!
Thank you, Javier!