If your Georgia Bulldogs have continued to look less than inspiring as they lurch toward a defining road contest against the #1 team in the country, you could probably use a drink. I can help you with that.
It’s no secret that the Georgia Bulldogs have not been that dominant this season. The numbers tell the story.
But if there’s any team on the schedule against whom Georgia could have a so-called “get right game”, it is these Mississippi State Bulldogs. Not to put too fine a point on things, Jeff Lebby‘s squad just hasn’t been very good at the whole football thing in 2024. Mississippi State has not been particularly effective or efficient on offense. The Bizarro Bulldogs are 81st nationally in scoring offense and 79th in total offense. Only Kentucky is scoring fewer points per game among SEC teams, this despite the fact that Mississippi State has (with the exception of their loss to Texas) played one of the league’s easiest slates.
But it’s okay. They’ve been even worse on defense. They’re dead last in the SEC in scoring defense and total defense, giving up a full six more points per game (31.6) than the next worst team in the league.
When considering this year‘s Mississippi State football team, I find myself searching for a historical parallel. Not in SEC football history. We’re talking way further back than that.
All the way back to the Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola, sent by the Emperor in the first century AD to conquer Britain. At least, according to his son-in-law and biographer Tacitus, Agricola had a grudging respect for the wild, tattooed rabble he found in the misty Isles of the modern day United Kingdom. That being said, he recognized that what they possessed in savage resolve they gave up in strategy, technology, and sheer numbers. It took him six years, but Agricola did in fact emerge victorious over the various tribes, returning to Rome as a conquering national hero.
And then, the Roman Army turned its attention to to the hordes along the Danube who presented an even stiffer test.
And that’s sort of where Georgia finds itself. There’s no reason for the Bulldogs to struggle with this team, that wildly waves around its improvised weapons and makes a lot of noise to cover up the fact that they’re just generally not a terribly competent football team. So let’s put these barbarous visitors in their place and go invade Austin.
So what’s the drink for a game in which you want to decisively crush an outmanned and outclassed opponent waving weirdly totemic cowbells? The Harvey Wallclanga.
It’s a twist on the Harvey Wallbanger, a modern classic born in the 1950s, when it was first prepared by California bartender Duke Antone. But the Harvey Wallbanger didn’t really take off until the early 1970s, when an ad campaign aimed at selling more Galliano, one of the key ingredients, made the drink a household name.
To make a Wallclanga you’ll need:
* 1 and 1/4 ounces vodka
* 1/2 ounce Galliano L’Autentico liqueur. Galliano is made with vanilla and a handful of herbs and spices, including star anise, lavender, juniper and cinnamon. It has a distinct taste that adds subtle sophistication to any cocktail.
* 3 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
* an orange slice and a maraschino cherry for garnish
First fill a tall glass with ice then add the vodka and orange juice. Stir to combine. Then carefully float the Galliano on top. Garnish with a skewered orange slice and maraschino cherry. Enjoy, and…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!