Cocktail of the Month: The Orange Crush
By • August 13, 2025 0 805
First off, it was a fruity carbonated soft drink that peaked in popularity in the late ’70s, though its origins date back to the early 1900s. Next, it was a breakout hit from the ’80s alternative rock darling R.E.M., which won a VMA for best postmodern video. Then it became THE cocktail of the Eastern Shore. First mixed in Ocean City in 1995, it’s still a favorite today.
What is this mystery item?
It’s the Orange Crush, massively popular in the Delmarva Peninsula. Never mind its nonalcoholic inspiration and the classic tune, if you’re in a bar in Rehoboth Beach, you can’t swing a cat without meeting someone enjoying one of these citrusy tipples.
Its components: (orange) vodka, triple sec, freshly squeezed orange juice and a topper of lemon-lime soda. One of the first drinks to use flavored vodka in its mix, the Orange Crush has a 30-year history behind it.
Since the cocktail’s invention in 1995 at the Harborside Bar & Grill in West Ocean City, Maryland, the bar claims to have sold Orange Crushes by the millions. And though it made its debut in the Old Line State, the Starboard in Dewey Beach, Delaware (which also claims to have devised it), made it trendy.
Whatever story you believe, you should know that both states have officially recognized the Orange Crush as their state cocktail, with Delaware doing so in 2024 and Maryland in 2025.
My first encounter with it was at an outdoor bar in Rehoboth where literally everyone was drinking them. I found it refreshing, fruity, not overly sweet and a perfect sundowner after a day lazing away on the beach — an ideal summer treat.
You might compare it to the vintage Screwdriver, a highball consisting of premade orange juice and vodka, but there are some key differences. Every spot where I’ve enjoyed this delightful drink had a hand squeezer, where fresh oranges are halved and “crushed” into your glass. No Minute Maid or Tropicana concentrate here.
What’s more, the orange vodka totally amps up the drink’s intensity. The final addition of a citrus soda balances out the flavor, giving it an effervescent quality without making it pulpy or thick.
The Orange Crush also has the flexibility to go as highbrow or lowbrow as you like. Ordering it in a dive bar will get you a mixture of bottom-shelf vodka and OJ from a carton. I prefer Absolut Mandarin or Stoli Orange. And the triple sec (orange liqueur) can be upgraded to Grand Marnier or Cointreau. This cocktail follows the basic principle of sour drinks: citrus fruit plus sweetener (liqueur) plus spirit.
As August has come upon us, many Washingtonians will be heading to the beach. If you’re going to enjoy the Delmarva shore, be sure to wind down with an Orange Crush. If, on the other hand, you are someone who enjoys the quietest month in the capital city, mix your own and enjoy the (relatively) easy parking.
The Orange Crush
One orange, freshly juiced
2 oz. orange vodka
1 oz. orange liqueur
2 oz. lemon-lime soda
Orange wedge for garnish
Fill a glass with crushed ice. Squeeze one whole orange into a glass. Pour in the vodka and liqueur and stir. Top it off with the soda and orange wedge.
