Ingredients in a vodka and orange juice recipe are surprisingly simple— vodka and orange juice (and sugar). It’s quick, foolproof, and you can experiment and try its other varieties if you have the time.
What Is Vodka and Orange Juice Called
If you are at a bar, chances are you will see the name “screwdriver” or “screwdriver cocktail” on the menu. It’s an alternative name for the vodka and orange juice cocktail we’re making today.
But don’t worry, no screwdrivers are involved in the making of your drink!
Legend says that the name came about decades ago. Oil workers in the Persian Gulf needed to have some fun, but apparently, outside working hours wasn’t enough.
They ended up sneaking vodka into their orange juice when no one was looking.
With no spoon lying around, they stirred their drinks with what they had on hand— a screwdriver. Poof! The screwdriver cocktail was born.
Is Vodka and Orange Juice Good for You
Cocktails are amazing, and those made with natural fruit juice even have specific health benefits.
1. The Nutritional Values of Our Screwdriver
This vodka and orange juice cocktail is 70% pure orange juice in volume.
Orange is rich in vitamin C, and our cocktail has 60% of the vitamin C you need each day. This nutrient is an antioxidant which has a lot of benefits for your body, including boosting your immune system.
For those who need to take more special care of the heart, a daily dose of vitamin C is recommended. Taking vitamin C via a supplement (or a natural source) is proven to help manage high blood pressure.
Also, risks of having gout attacks can also be lowered by consuming a healthy amount of vitamin C. It can lower the level of uric acid in the blood, helping protect against gout attacks.
If you prefer a non-alcoholic drink to boost your daily vitamin C intake, check out our top orange juice recipes. The drinks are easy to make, delicious, and look gorgeous.
2. How Many Calories Are in This Cocktail
Our vodka and orange juice recipe yields 178 calories per serving. To many people’s surprise, the calories mainly come from the vodka.
One gram of alcohol gives seven calories, and 1.5 fluid ounces of 80 proof vodka yields 98 calories. It takes up about half of the calories in this drink.
3. How Much Vodka per Day Is Safe
Alcohol in general is considered “empty calories”, meaning it gives lots of calories, but they don’t satisfy your hunger. It’s something to enjoy a little of, not something to indulge in or to fill your empty stomach with.
For your healthy consumption of alcohol, we made our cocktails adhere to the USDA’s guidelines. According to the USDA’s guidelines, men should not exceed two drinks per day and women can have up to one.
This definition is still far from being specific, so they also define how much alcohol should be in each drink. There should be no more than 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol in each cocktail serving.
Particularly, almost all of our cocktail recipes use 80-proof spirits (vodka, rum, gin, etc.) Each serving has less than 6 fluid ounces spirit, making the tie to 0.6 fluid ounces pure alcohol.
With that said, let’s make a screwdriver and have a little fun!
How to Mix Vodka and Orange Juice
Despite the backstory, you don’t need a screwdriver to stir vodka into your drink. A cocktail shaker is more professional and makes a better drink.
First, pour the vodka, orange juice, and sugar into your shaker. Then load the shaker halfway through with ice, close the lid, and start shaking vigorously for 5 minutes.
After that, fill your serving glass with clean ice and strain the cocktail in.
If you don’t have a shaker, first stir the sugar with the orange juice in a large pitcher until dissolved. Add vodka, stir to incorporate, and divide the cocktail into serving glasses topped with ice.
What Goes Well with Vodka besides Orange Juice
There is a book named “Vodka: How a colorless, odorless, flavorless spirit conquered America” by Victorino Matus, and it’s true. Vodka is so versatile that it can go with a lot of different drinks.
Here are some more ideas for other cocktail recipes with the main ingredients being vodka and juice only. These can help out with a fun Friday night.
1. Appletini
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, you may want to consider a tipsier alternative.
To make an appletini, mix 1 part vodka to 1 part apple juice. Add lemon juice and maple syrup to taste.
2. Bloody Mary
Putting the horror backstory and the unique taste aside, a “bloody mary” is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant.
As expected, a bloody mary comprises 1 part vodka, 5 parts tomato juice, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
3. Caipiroska
This lime-vodka cocktail is straightforward. Crush one lime and two teaspoons of sugar with a spoon in a glass, then add 50 ml vodka.
Vodka and Orange Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup 80-proof vodka
- 1 3/4 cups orange juice
- 8 tsp sugar
- 4 cups ice crushed
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Instructions
- In a shaker, pour in all your ingredients and some ice, and shake. Or stir the liquid ingredients and sugar in a pitcher to combine.
- Top serving glasses with ice. Pour the cocktail in and serve.
Nutrition
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This cocktail tastes amazing! Thanks for the recipe!