Average
Tropical & Sweet
5 Minutes
Highball Glass
Ingredients
The Yellowhammer is a legendary tailgate cocktail synonymous with the University of Alabama – fruity, tropical and built directly in the glass with vodka, light rum, amaretto, pineapple juice and orange juice.
The Yellowhammer is bold, fruity and easy to make. Serve it in a highball glass at a backyard party or a red plastic cup at a tailgate – either way, it’s game-on.
How To Make a YELLOWHAMMER cocktail
Bar tools you’ll need
Jigger
Knife
Blender
Citrus Press
Bar Spoon
How to Mix
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Prepare your Pineapple Juice. Cut a Pineapple into chunks, removing the skin and core, and blend using a blender or juice using a juicer until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
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Prepare your Orange Juice. Cut an orange in half and juice using a citrus press, citrus elbow or juicer. Save an Orange Wedge for garnishing later.
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Fill a highball glass (or red plastic cup) with ice cubes.
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Use a jigger to measure and add Absolut Vodka, Light Rum and Amaretto to the glass.
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Measure and add the freshly made Pineapple Juice and Orange Juice.
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Use a bar spoon and stir gently.
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Garnish with an Orange Wedge on the rim and a Fresh Cherry dropped directly into the glass.
All about the Yellowhammer
The Yellowhammer, also known as the Yellowhammer Slammer, is a built cocktail – no shaking, no straining, no bartending degree required. Just Absolut Vodka, light rum, amaretto, pineapple juice and orange juice, poured directly into a highball glass filled with ice.
Fresh pineapple and orange juice are non-negotiable here – you’ll need a juicer or blender, but it’s worth the extra couple of minutes. The Yellowhammer deserves better than a carton.
The Yellowhammer tastes like a sweet, tropical punch with some serious tiki vibes going on – thanks to the almond notes of the amaretto and the light rum. Fresh pineapple juice brings a sharp tartness up front, balanced by the sweet citrus of orange juice, with the vodka providing a clean, smooth base underneath it all.
Sweet and tropical but balanced – the amaretto’s marzipan note offsets the tart pineapple, while the vodka and light rum keep the sweetness in check.
The Yellowhammer has been a University of Alabama tailgate staple since the 1970s and like most great drinks, nobody can quite agree on exactly where it came from. What everyone does agree on is that it tastes great, it’s easy to make in large quantities and it has no business being as tropical as it is for a football cocktail from Alabama.
Named after Alabama’s state bird, the Yellowhammer is widely credited to a bar near the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa where it became the drink of choice on game day for students and fans alike. From those roots, it spread well beyond Tuscaloosa to become one of the most recognized tailgate cocktails in American college football culture.
The Yellowhammer is easy. Here’s how to make sure it stays that way without cutting corners.
- Always use fresh juice
We know bottled juice is convenient. We also know it makes a worse drink. A juicer or blender and a fine mesh strainer are all you need and the difference is immediately noticeable. Cutting up a pineapple for juicing takes time, but the extra work is worth it. - Choose the right rum
Light rum is the one to use here – it lets the pineapple, orange and amaretto shine without overpowering them. A dark or spiced rum would shift the flavor profile considerably, moving it away from the tropical, tiki character that makes the Yellowhammer what it is. - Make a batch
The Yellowhammer was built for crowds. Scale up the ingredients, mix in a large pitcher and serve over ice. Nobody at a tailgate wants to watch you measure out 15ml of amaretto for each individual cup.
- Add soda water
If you have a tall glass, top the finished drink with a soda water for an effervescent version. - Coconut rum
Swap the light rum for coconut-flavored rum like Malibu and the tiki vibes go up a notch. This coconut rum version is what many fans call the Yellowhammer Slammer. The coconut adds a creamy, tropical sweetness that works beautifully with the pineapple and amaretto, making an already tropical drink even more so.
The Yellowhammer is a tailgate drink. Keep the garnish simple.
- Glassware
A highball glass if you’re serving this at home. A red plastic cup for everywhere else. - Orange wedge and cherry
An orange wedge rim and a fresh cherry placed directly in the glass or cup – simple, colorful and leans right into the tiki-like character of the drink. - Maraschino cherry
Want to accentuate those marzipan notes from the amaretto and add a touch more sweetness? Swap the fresh cherry for a maraschino cherry.
Yellowhammer Cocktail FAQ
A Yellowhammer is built from five ingredients – Absolut Vodka, light rum and amaretto, lengthened with pineapple juice and orange juice, poured over ice and garnished with an orange wedge and a cherry. The classic ratio is equal parts vodka, light rum and amaretto to roughly four parts pineapple juice and two parts orange juice.
The Yellowhammer is a classic tailgate cocktail deeply connected to the culture of the University of Alabama, named after the Yellowhammer – Alabama’s state bird. It’s widely believed to have originated at a bar near the University of Alabama campus and has become one of the most iconic game day drinks in American college football culture.
Yes, a blender works just as well for the pineapple juice. Blend fresh pineapple chunks with a small amount of water and strain through a fine mesh sieve. For the orange juice, a simple citrus press or citrus elbow is all you need.
Yes and the Yellowhammer is one of the best cocktails for batching. Simply multiply the ingredients by however many servings you need, mix everything together in a large pitcher or drinks dispenser and serve over ice.
The only thing worth doing fresh is the juice – make the pineapple and orange juice on the day for the best flavor. The Yellowhammer was made for crowds, so scale it up!
Both are classic American South cocktails with roots in college football culture. The Alabama Slammer dates back to the 1960s and peaked in the 70s whereas the Yellowhammer emerged in the 1970s.
Both share the amaretto, orange juice and college football culture, but the similarities pretty much end there.
The Alabama Slammer blends rye whiskey, sloe gin, amaretto and orange juice – giving it a more complex, spirit-forward character.
The Yellowhammer, on the other hand, leans tropical – vodka, light rum, amaretto, pineapple juice and orange juice giving it a sweeter, tiki-inspired flavor profile.
