Ingredients
- 1 oz Almond Liqueur
- 1 oz Peach Schnapps
- 1 oz Spiced Rum
- 1 oz Southern Comfort
- 3 oz Orange Juice
Instructions
Fill the Glass:
- Fill a glass halfway with ice cubes.
Add the Liquors:
- Pour 1 oz of almond liqueur, 1 oz of peach schnapps, 1 oz of spiced rum, and 1 oz of Southern Comfort into the glass.
Top with Orange Juice:
- Top off the mixture with 3 oz of orange juice.
Stir and Serve:
- Stir the mixture well to combine all the flavors.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your bold and flavorful F*cking Awesome Cocktail.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
The Fucking Awesome belongs to the late-1990s American shooter-bar wave. Multi-spirit, fruit-juice-led, served tall, named to provoke. The same family produced the Sex on the Beach, the Long Island Iced Tea and the Adios Motherfucker.
It started life on bachelor party menus in Florida and Texas, where four spirits in one glass meant the bartender had only one drink to remember. The orange juice carries the load, the schnapps and amaretto do the perfume work.
It is a holiday drink. Pool decks, hen weekends, last day of a buck’s. Not a cocktail-snob drink, more a it-is-Saturday-and-we-are-on-leave drink.
What it tastes like
Almond and peach up front, vanilla and orange peel through the middle, a long spiced-rum finish that warms the back of the mouth. Sweet without being syrupy. The bitterness of fresh orange juice keeps the schnapps in line.
About 15 percent ABV in the glass. Four ounces of spirit and liqueur, three ounces of orange juice. Drinks lighter than it pours because the OJ carries half the volume.
The technique
Build in a shaker over ice. Almond liqueur, peach schnapps, spiced rum, Southern Comfort, orange juice. Shake hard for ten seconds. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
Use fresh-squeezed orange juice if the bar has it. Bottled is fine, but fresh adds a brightness that bottled juice loses on the shelf.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The almond liqueur
- Use
- Disaronno or any quality amaretto.
- Skip
- Almond syrup or orgeat. Both are non-alcoholic and change the maths.
- Why
- The amaretto is the marzipan note that lifts the orange juice and binds the spirits together.
The Southern Comfort
- Use
- Original Southern Comfort, the 70 proof bottle.
- Skip
- SoCo Lime or any flavoured variant. The other ingredients already cover that ground.
- Why
- The peach and bourbon-adjacent notes in SoCo are what make this read like a Florida porch drink.
The spiced rum
- Use
- Sailor Jerry, Kraken or a similar dark spiced rum.
- Skip
- White rum. It disappears in this drink.
- Why
- Spiced rum is the warm length on the finish. The vanilla, clove and cinnamon are doing real work behind the OJ.
Three Variations
Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.
The dressed-up version
- Awesome and Aged
- Swap the spiced rum for a sipping aged rum and finish with a dash of orange bitters. Drier, more spirit-forward.
The Aussie version
- Aussie Awesome
- Cut the orange juice with mango juice and add a squeeze of fresh lime. Tropical-leaning, less sweet.
The party version
- Awesome Pitcher
- Multiply by six, build in a glass jug over ice, garnish with orange wheels and fresh mint. A classic backyard pour.
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
An ounce of orgeat plus an extra splash of spiced rum. The marzipan note stays, the spirit weight stays.
Bourbon plus a teaspoon of peach syrup. Closer to the original than any flavoured whiskey substitute.
A dark rum plus a pinch of cinnamon and a clove infused for thirty seconds. The vanilla note disappears, the warmth stays.
Bottled orange juice. The drink loses some brightness but stays balanced. Avoid orange-flavoured drink.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
What is in a Fucking Awesome cocktail?
One ounce each of almond liqueur, peach schnapps, spiced rum and Southern Comfort, plus three ounces of orange juice, shaken with ice and served tall.
How do you make a Fucking Awesome cocktail?
Shake the four spirits and the orange juice with ice for ten seconds. Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.
What does a Fucking Awesome cocktail taste like?
Almond and peach up front, vanilla and orange peel through the middle, a long spiced-rum finish. Sweet but not syrupy.
Is the Fucking Awesome strong?
About 15 percent ABV. Four ounces of spirit and liqueur stretched with three ounces of orange juice. Drinks easier than it pours.
Where did the Fucking Awesome get its name?
Late-1990s shooter-bar culture, mostly out of Florida and Texas. The name is the marketing, the OJ-spirit ratio is the recipe.
Can I make a Fucking Awesome with vodka?
Yes, replace the spiced rum with a vanilla vodka and add a pinch of cinnamon. The drink reads cleaner but loses some of its tropical warmth.
What kind of orange juice should I use?
Fresh-squeezed if you can. Bottled is fine if it is not from concentrate. Avoid orange drink, the fake stuff fights the schnapps.
How many calories are in a Fucking Awesome?
About 320 calories per glass. The liqueurs and the OJ carry most of the load. Cut the schnapps and SoCo by half and it drops to about 240.
What glass do you serve a Fucking Awesome in?
A tall glass over ice, sometimes called a Collins glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry.
Can I make a Fucking Awesome mocktail?
Yes. Skip the four spirits, keep the orange juice, add a splash of peach nectar and an ounce of orgeat. Stretches into a long fruit punch.
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