If you have vodka and orange juice, you have everything you need for this easy screwdriver recipe. This classic vodka cocktail is the perfect pairing for your brunch-time favorites (it’s essentially a mimosa with vodka instead of champagne), but its refreshing citrusy profile cements it as an anytime tipple.
Cocktail lore is usually a little fuzzy, and there are a few tales surrounding the origin of the screwdriver. Historians seem to agree the drink appeared around World War II. The most popular version of the story has oil workers in the Persian Gulf adding a slosh of vodka to their morning glass of OJ, then stirring the drink with a screwdriver.
While you can leave your proper screwdrivers in the toolbox, you will need high-quality ingredients to make vodka and orange juice. With simple cocktails, quality is key.
Screwdriver Ingredients
- Vodka: This neutral spirit is the boozy base for your screwdrivers. Any good-quality vodka works here. No need to reach for your top-shelf bottles—save those for your martini—but don’t go too low-end either. Try one of our Test Kitchen’s picks for the best vodka brands.
- Orange juice: If you have the time, it’s definitely worth the effort to use freshly squeezed orange juice in your screwdrivers. Because this is a two-ingredient cocktail and most of the flavor is coming from the OJ, you don’t want to skip on quality. If juicing the oranges is off the table, there are some excellent orange juice brands you can rely on to make great-tasting screwdrivers. As for the pulp vs. no pulp debate, it comes down to personal preference.
- Garnish: A simple slice of orange is the classic garnish for a screwdriver. Try upgrading the orange slice by using candied orange slices or dehydrated citrus.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the glass
Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Step 2: Add the orange juice and vodka
Pour the vodka and orange juice into the glass. Garnish with an orange slice.
Screwdriver Variations
- Try flavored vodka: While citrus vodkas may be your first port of call, vodkas flavored with vanilla, berry, passion fruit and mango are wickedly delicious in a screwdriver cocktail.
- Use different spirits: Gin and tequila make excellent substitutes for vodka in a screwdriver. Their grassy, botanical aromas and flavors naturally complement citrus of all sorts, so don’t be afraid to turn your screwdriver into a gin cocktail or tequila drink.
- Mix in fruit juices: Orange plays well with most other flavors. Substituting half the orange juice with another fruit juice is an effortless way to liven up your basic vodka and orange. Try mango, blood orange, cranberry, pineapple, grapefruit or pomegranate.
- Add fruit puree: Another simple way to introduce more fruit to your screwdrivers is to add a dollop of fruit puree (jam works here, too). Passion fruit, peach or any kind of berry puree are a few go-tos.
- Make a spritz: Top your screwdrivers with ginger ale or club soda to give it a little sparkle.
- Give it a garnish: Some fabulous screwdriver cocktail garnishes include a sprig of fresh herbs (like mint, thyme or rosemary), a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds or a few seasonal berries.
How do you make screwdrivers for a group?
Thankfully, the screwdriver cocktail recipe is one of the easier ones to master. Since all you’re doing is combining vodka and orange juice—exactly the sort of easy-breezy drinks we like serving to a crowd. Just pour three parts orange juice and two parts vodka into a pitcher filled with ice. If you’re making the pitchers ahead of time, cover and store them in the fridge, leaving out the ice until you’re ready to start pouring.
Screwdriver Tips
What kind of glasses should you use to serve screwdrivers?
A few types of cocktail glasses will work with a screwdriver. The highball glass is ideal, but a Collins glass also works, especially if you add a slug of soda to your vodka and orange juice.
What can you serve with screwdrivers?
Let the citrusy flavor of the OJ lead the way. With that in mind, screwdrivers are ideal for a boozy brunch or lunch. Orange juice is sweet and acidic, which makes it a versatile drink pairing with many popular brunch recipes. Screwdrivers and fluffy pancakes? Absolutely. Breakfast egg muffins and vodka orange? I’ll take two, thanks. It’s more a question of what doesn’t go with a screwdriver.
