Yellow Hammer Drink

Inspired by the popular Yellow Hammer drink from a bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, these fruity drinks are great for game days, tailgating and football parties.

About Yellow Hammer Drinks

With football season around the corner, it's time to think about game days, tailgates, and football parties. If you're in need of a crowd-pleasing adult beverage, this Yellow Hammer drink is the answer to your prayers.

I make them multiple times a year, and everyone raves about them! They are fabulous to serve with your cream cheese stuffed peppers, salsa, pimento cheese, bacon wrapped tater tots or easy cream cheese appetizer.

Pineapple juice, orange juice, and a few bottles of liquor are all you need. Honestly, I keep the ingredients on hand for the entire football season in case I need a fun drink to bring or serve because they are so easy to throw together. Or make them in the summer! They are a great porch-sitting, boat-riding, beach-relaxing cocktail.

What is a Yellow Hammer

Yellow Hammers are like a fancier (but almost as easy) screwdriver with a little extra pizzazz thanks to the pineapple juice and amaretto.

If you've ever been to Tuscaloosa for an Alabama football game, you've maybe been to the bar Gallette's, and you've probably seen the yellow drink in the yellow cup people are walking around with. That'd be a Yellow Hammer.

I've seen a few different recipes floating around on the internet for these drinks, and I honestly am not sure what the real Gallette's recipe for Yellow Hammers is. I'm not claiming that this is the real deal, but holy moly this version is delicious.

Even if you're not an Alabama fan, I can all but guarantee that you will enjoy these. You don't have to call it a Yellow Hammer; call it "Gameday Drink" or whatever makes you happy.

Just please don't call it a "yellowhammer slammer" because that's not what this is called. I don't know what a yellowhammer slammer is... because the original version made at Gallette's is just a plain ole Yellow Hammer. And I think we should leave it that way, so no calling this delicious drink a "yellowhammer slammer," k? 😉

In a nutshell, this fruity, sweet cocktail has a tasty blend of vodka and rum that's sweetened with amaretto and fruit juices. Served over ice and topped with a cherry, you can hardly taste the alcohol, so be sure to drink these with caution.

Ingredients

Vodka: As with any cocktail, make sure you use high quality spirits. While you can get away with using a slightly lower quality vodka (because the juice and amaretto mask the vodka flavor), I don't recommend it. I feel like it's worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a nicer vodka to not have a hangover, but that's my personal preference.

Another alternative to vodka is to use light rum in its place if you prefer to only use one type of alcohol.

Using vodka and rum keeps the drink from being too sweet in my opinion, but it is totally a personal preference. Feel free to experiment and find what you like best.

Rum: I use light rum, but you can also use dark rum. 

Amaretto: Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur that has an almond flavor. It's intensely sweet, so you definitely don't need to add sugar to this recipe.

Pineapple Juice: Be sure to use 100% juice, so you aren't adding a ton of sugar. A lot of sugar in my alcoholic drinks always makes me feel worse the next day, so I try to stick to only drinking 100% juices. Plus, you get some vitamins in those 100% fruit juices. Hooray!

Orange Juice: Like the pineapple juice, use 100% juice. It doesn't matter if you use fresh squeezed, pulp, no pulp, etc. Pick one you like, and use that.

Cherries: Ok so the cherry is optional I guess, but I'm a huge fan of adding a cherry on top with my yellow hammer.

Cost

• Vodka 4 ounces: $3.25
• Rum 4 ounces: $2.50
• Amaretto 4 ounces: $3.50
• Water 2-4 ounces: $0
• Pineapple Juice 18 ounces: $1 
• Orange Juice 12 ounces: $.90

TOTAL COST: $11.15 (Based on San Diego Sprouts 2019) or $1.40/serving

How to Make a Yellow Hammer Drink

Tips for Making Yellowhammers

These drinks are so simple that I don't really have tips. The only thing I'd stress is that you taste them before serving. Everyone has different taste preferences, so you might decide you'd like more orange juice or a touch more rum.

Remember that you will be serving them over ice which will likely dilute the Yellow Hammers a bit (especially if it's a hot day and the ice will melt quickly). However, feel free to add a little more water to your yellowhammers as needed.

Variations

Ingredient Options

Alcohol: As mentioned above, if you would rather use only one top of liquor, use light and dark rum instead of vodka and rum.

How to Make Allergy Friendly

These yellow hammers are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and soy free. Amaretto is potentially problematic for those with a nut, tree nut or apricot allergy (and most sources do not give a definitive answer on whether or not it is safe). As with any recipe, be sure to check labels and consult with your doctor or allergist before consuming.

How to Fix a Mistake

These Yellow Hammer drinks are so simple and almost impossible to mess up. If you add too much orange juice, add a little extra pineapple juice, water or vodka. Same with pretty much any of the ingredients. If it's too sweet, add more vodka. If it's not sweet enough, add more juice, amaretto or rum. Basically, play around with the ingredients until it tastes just right to your preferences.

Make Ahead Ideas

Yellow Hammers are great to make ahead of time because they keep well in the fridge. Simply stir everything together and store in an airtight container for later use. You can also increase the recipe to serve an even larger crowd.

Storage Suggestions

These keep for up to one week in a glass container in the fridge. Stir or shake well before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Yellow Hammer the same thing as an Alabama Slammer?

No, a Yellow Hammer drink is different from an Alabama Slammer drink. The Yellow Hammer has rum, amaretto and vodka (some versions use light and dark rum with no vodka). And an Alabama Slammer has whiskey, sloe gin and amaretto. Both are served with cherries.

How do you make only one Yellowhammer drink?

The ratio for Yellow Hammers is

• 2 parts OJ
• 4 parts pineapple juice
• 1 part vodka
• (a generous) 1 part rum
• 1 part amaretto

These ratios and the recipe below are mainly guidelines. I think it is important to taste it, then add a little extra juice if you want or add in some rum or vodka or amaretto. The amaretto is pretty sweet, so I wouldn't go too crazy.

Nutrition benefits

Like most alcoholic drinks, the yellow hammer doesn't offer tons of nutrients. However, using 100% juice gives you an extra dose of Vitamin C, and one serving of these yellowhammers gives you almost 30% of your daily needs. Yay for fighting colds while watching football 🙂 

What to serve with a Yellow Hammer

You definitely want to eat when you are drinking these! Some of my favorite gameday eats are

• Cheesy Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers
• Sliders
• Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots
• Loaded Nachos
• Easy Homemade Salsa
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Avocado Deviled Eggs
• Pimento Cheese

Final thoughts:

After 7 years of making this recipe, it continually gets rave reviews. They are simple to make, and they are incredibly delicious. Plus, there isn't a ton of added sugar (other than in the alcohol), so they don't give you a massive sugar crash. Be sure to eat something with these though, and drink responsibly. These are strong but don't taste like it!

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MORE BOOZY BEVERAGES YOU'LL LOVE:

• Berry Peach Sangria
• Blueberry Mojito
• Red Roosters
• Independence Day Sangria
• Jalapeño Margarita

This post was originally published September 20, 2013. Text, recipe, video and photos have been updated.