Orange Crush Cocktail

Summer’s BEST cocktail! This Orange Crush Cocktail Recipe is as easy as it gets. Refreshing and light, it’s my favorite way to beat the summer heat. Party perfect and just in time for the summer parties!

Orange Crush

Who’s excited for summer? I know I am and every year I head to the Jersey Shore and kick off the season with an Orange Crush cocktail at my favorite restaurant, the Crab House. It’s a tradition we are not giving up anytime soon.

Toasting the summer with a refreshing drink, the Orange Crush is iconic in every sense of the word but it has to be made with the freshest of ingredients for it to be stellar. Fresh Orange juice, orange liquor and lemon lime soda tend to be the favorite mixers but I like to use club soda to keep the sugar factor in check.

If you haven’t had one of these frosty drinks, it’s time you change that.

What is an Orange Crush Cocktail?

It’s like a summer tradition and usually falls around the beginning of May. This Orange Crush Cocktail recipe is like a less fancy version of the Mimosa….kinda like it’s less buttoned up step-cousin.

A little looser on the quality of the alcohol, this one is made with orange vodka (which I usually am not a fan of), triple sec and orange juice. Make it fizzy with a little lemon lime soda and we’re good to go.

It is said to be invented by the Harborside restaurant and bar in Ocean City, Maryland but there are a bunch of beach bars on the New Jersey beaches that claim that honor, as well. 

I don’t know WHO originally invented it (and it’s claim to fame popped up around 1995) but it’s one of the most iconic drinks of the summer season.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed is the best way but you can use your favorite bottled orange juice. Do not use Orange drink or punch, it’s just not the same.
• Orange Liquor – Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau are all amazing in this cocktail. I lean more toward the latter two for an elevated flavor.
• Lemon Lime Soda – This is up for debate because some people find the soda too sweet. I agree sometimes and will substitute with club soda or flavored sparkling water.

How To Make an Orange Crush

1. To make a classic Orange Crush soda cocktail, simply stir together orange vodka, triple sec (or Grand Marnier or Cointreau), FRESH SQUEEZED Orange Juice and Lemon Lime soda!
2. Serve it over crushed ice and sip it with a pretty straw.

You could totally make this in a big punch bowl and call it an Orange Crush Punch….it’s so fun for parties OR just whip up a bunch in tiny glasses for an Orange Crush Shot! 

More Cocktail Recipes

• The ULTIMATE Chocolate Martini Recipe
• Sparkling Pomegranate Rum Punch
• Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria
• Lemonade Gin Mojito Recipe
• Pineapple Prosecco Slushie
• Easy Mimosa Float
• Hurricane Drink

We also threw in this Blueberry Mojito Popsicle which is totally fab and a great way to cool off when that September sun reminds us all that, even though school has started, summer isn’t over yet. Party on, my friends!

Want even more easy recipe ideas and inspiration? Follow us over on Instagram!