Screwdriver

Vodka and orange, simply.

Vodka and orange juice over ice: one of the simplest and best-known long drinks in the world. Neutral vodka leaves the stage to the orange, which is why the quality of the juice makes all the difference.

Long drink
Built

Glass: Highball glass
Method: Built
Strength: Light
Time: 2 min
Difficulty: Easy
Ice: Cubes

Ingredients

Servings 1

Vodka 50 ml
Orange juice 100 ml

Garnish

Orange slice

Proportions

How to make

Fill a highball glass with ice.
Pour the vodka.
Top with the orange juice.
Stir gently.
Garnish with an orange slice.

The story

Origins

LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.

The Screwdriver was probably born among Americans abroad during and just after the Second World War. According to the Oxford Companion, the name was coined in 1943 by American airmen in Ankara, Turkey. The most widely cited early evidence is a Time article of 24 October 1949 about Turkey, describing the Park Hotel bar where intelligence agents and American engineers drank 'the latest Yankee concoction of vodka and orange juice, called a screwdriver'. The most popular legend tells of American oil workers in the Middle East who, lacking a spoon, stirred the drink with a screwdriver. From the 1950s, vodka's success in the United States made it a classic.

Sources (8)

Taste profile

Citrus: 4 out of 5
Fruity: 3 out of 5
Fresh: 3 out of 5
Sweet: 2 out of 5