Screwdriver (cocktail)

A screwdriver is a popular highball drink made with fresh orange juice and vodka. Outside the US, it is often referred to as "vodka and orange". While the basic drink is simply the two ingredients, there are many variations, many of these with multiple names, that can be found all over the world.

History

The earliest written reference to the screwdriver is from the October 24, 1949, issue of Time:

"In the dimly lighted bar of the sleek Park Hotel, Turkish intelligence agents mingle with American engineers and Balkan refugees, drinking the latest Yankee concoction of vodka and orange juice, called a 'screwdriver'."^[1]

The drink reportedly got its name because American petroleum engineers in Saudi Arabia secretly added vodka to small cans of orange juice and stirred the mixture with their screwdrivers.^[2]

Variations

• Replacing the orange juice with apple juice is known as the "Anita Bryant", in reference to the boycott against the Florida Citrus Commission that started in 1978.
• A screwdriver with dark rum added is called a "Brass Monkey".
• A screwdriver with spiced dark rum is called "Spiced Wam" in the Atlantic Canada region.
• An "Electric Screwdriver" is equal parts vodka and tequila with orange juice and energy drink.
• A Screwdriver in which Tang is substituted for the orange juice is known as a "Fuzzy Astronaut" or a "Tang Banger".
• Vodka, peach schnapps, and orange juice is a "Fuzzy Screw".
• The well known "Harvey Wallbanger" cocktail is a screwdriver with a splash of Galliano floated on top.
• Replacing the flat orange juice with a carbonated orange drink such as Orangina produces a cocktail known as a "Hi-Fi".
• A "Jackhammer" uses whiskey in lieu of vodka.
• The "Persian screwdriver", mix one can of frozen orange juice concentrate with one handle (1.75 liters) of vodka.
• Vodka and prune juice make a "Piledriver"
• The "Poor Man's Screwdriver" is one part vodka, and two parts orange drink mix, such as SunnyD.
• To make the beverage more palatable a sweet liquor is often added such as Amaretto. This is often referred to as a "Samerreto".
• A "Screw-Up" is a screwdriver with a splash of 7-UP on top.
• In some cases, sloe gin is added as part of the drink. It is referred to as a "Sloe Screw", or if in a tall glass, a "Long Sloe Screw", used as a pun on sexual intercourse. Adding Southern Comfort to this creates a "Sloe Comfortable Screw", and Galliano (as in the Wallbanger) a "Sloe Screw Against the Wall".
• A screwdriver with equal parts vodka and Blue Curaçao topped with Lemon-Lime Soda is a "Sonic Screwdriver".

References

External links

• Drinknation.com: Screwdriver variations