Screwdriver Drink – A Beautiful Mess

The Screwdriver is a classic brunch cocktail made of orange juice and vodka. In this blog post, I’ll teach you to make this classic recipe with correct proportions as well as fun variations.

I know you might be thinking, “How hard is it to combine orange juice and vodka?” But listen, the proportions of this drink matter a lot. It’s good to learn to make even the simplest drink properly. Not following a recipe can lead to overserving, which is not ideal ever, but especially not at brunch.

More brunch cocktails: Irish Coffee, Bloody Mary, Peach Bellini, Aperol Spritz.

Ingredients

• Orange Juice – Freshly squeezed or your favorite store-bought variety.
• Vodka – Choose a high quality, unflavored vodka.
• Orange Slices – For garnish. I think they add a special something.

How To Make Orange Juice

Directions

Begin by gathering your ingredients including orange juice, vodka, ice, orange slices and a collins glass for serving.

Fill your glass with ice and add two ounces of vodka to the ice. Top it off with orange juice and give it a nice stir.

To garnish, I placed some thin cut orange slices into the outer edges of the drink, and the ice holds them in place.

Serve immediately.

Tips for Making

• Try a flavored vodka for added flavor. I recommend trying citrus cherry or vanilla (if you enjoy a creamsicle flavor).
• If you would like to add a little sweetness, try adding some grenadine syrup or simple syrup. Start with half an ounce and add more until you are happy with the flavor.
• Lighten up the flavor of drink by adding half orange juice and half club soda or ginger ale to your drink.
• If you’re not an orange juice fan, try this recipe with different juices: cranberry, mango and pineapple are all delicious options.

History

This drink is said to have originated during the World War II era as soldiers, unable to find whiskey, mixed various liquors with orange juice to make them more enjoyable. Another origin story states that auto workers in the United States began adding vodka to their orange juice and using a screwdriver to mix it. We’ll never know for sure how this drink was invented, but these amusing origin stories always make me smile.

What we know for sure is that in the 1950s and ’60s vodka began to gain popularity in the U.S. and brands like Smirnoff used the Screwdriver recipe in ads to further popularize their spirits. Their efforts were met with enormous success as we fast forward more than 50 years to see this cocktail is still one of the most well known of all time.

More brunch recipes to try:

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