Screwdriver
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 13.7% ABV ∙
The Screwdriver is a stirred highball of vodka and fresh orange juice, here rounded out with a touch of sugar syrup and orange bitters. Chilled and lightly diluted, the pulp-flecked juice softens a clean spirit backbone into a smooth, faintly bittersweet finish that lingers without heaviness.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Vodka 60 mlOrange juice 90 mlSugar syrup 5 mlOrange bitters 3 dashes
- Stir well (preferably with a screwdriver)
- Garnish with an orange slice
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass so the ice-filled build stays cold longer without over-diluting before you finish stirring.
- Stir well rather than shake — a smooth swirl keeps the juice from foaming and clouding the drink.
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice; bottled juice reads flatter and masks the small addition of syrup and bitters.
History
The Screwdriver, a simple mix of vodka and orange juice, has no single documented inventor and instead carries several competing origin stories, all tied to the mid-20th century. The most widely repeated account traces it to American oil workers in the Persian Gulf, who mixed vodka into their orange juice for a quick, discreet drink and stirred it with the tool they had on hand, a screwdriver, giving the cocktail its name. Other versions place its creation among American servicemen during World War II, with some crediting marines and others airmen, though sources agree the drink emerged around that wartime period as vodka began gaining a foothold in American drinking culture. Because of its plain, everyday ingredients, the Screwdriver was never linked to a particular bar or bartender, and its rise tracks the broader postwar popularization of vodka in the United States.
A notable later offshoot appeared in the late 1970s: after the Florida singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant became a prominent anti-gay-rights campaigner starting in 1977, gay bars organized a boycott of orange juice and dropped the Screwdriver from their menus, replacing it with a version made with apple juice instead, which became known as the Anita Bryant cocktail.
FAQ
What is a Screwdriver made of?
A Screwdriver is vodka and fresh orange juice, stirred over ice; this build also adds a touch of sugar syrup and a few dashes of orange bitters to round out the citrus. It is served in a highball glass and finished with an orange slice.
How do you make a Screwdriver?
Pre-chill a glass, then pour the vodka, orange juice, sugar syrup, and orange bitters into the ice-filled glass and stir well until cold. Garnish with an orange slice before serving. Stirring rather than shaking keeps the drink clear and properly diluted.
Why is vodka and OJ called a Screwdriver?
The most repeated story traces the name to American oil workers in the Middle East who stirred vodka into orange juice with the nearest tool at hand, a screwdriver, in place of a bar spoon. It is a folk etymology rather than a documented fact, but it explains both the name and the tradition of stirring the drink with an actual screwdriver.
What ratio is a Screwdriver?
This build uses about two parts orange juice to one part vodka, with a small amount of sugar syrup and a few dashes of orange bitters added for balance. The classic version is often made with equal parts or a stronger vodka pour, so orange-juice-forward ratios like this one are on the lighter, juicier side.
What is a Mexican Screwdriver?
A Mexican Screwdriver swaps the vodka for tequila, giving the same vodka-and-orange-juice format an agave backbone instead of a neutral spirit base.
