The Art of the Screwdriver

[nacho]

Simple, right?  OJ, vodka, loud music with friends or uncomfortable dinner party.

Disliked fellow dinner guest:  What's that?

You: OR-ANGE JOOSE! *wild glare, jittering head*

Well, not so simple.  There's a balance.  The vodka can overpower the orange juice.  Pulpy orange juice does better with vodka if you add a  little bit of ginger ale, or Sierra Mist (my personal favorite).

For an 8 ounce glass, I go with half a glass of ice and two shots of vodka, then the OJ.  I prefer Florida's Natural (strangely not as clingy with the vodka than other OJ brands).

Anyone else have secret ways to make the perfect screwdriver?  And don't say DUH, I JUST DUMP IT IN! because you'll prove to me that you're 22 and in college where you make homemade vodka by putting potatoes and sugar and yeast in the toilet tank, sealing it with a garbage bag, and hanging up an out of order sign for a month then turning up the thermostat.

[Tatertots]

Yeah. You have to find a balance. I prefer minimal ice, good fresh OJ (none of that concentrate shit), and a splash (maybe a shot or shot and a half) of good Smirnoff vodka. Add some ice-cold sprite and serve with a stir stick. I find that with the above, it "settles" some, so you have to keep it good and mixed.

[RottingCorpse]

For those of us with sensitive stomachs, the mixture of acidic OJ and alochol is just a bad time.

I've never liked screwdrivers.

[nacho]

Yeah. You have to find a balance. I prefer minimal ice, good fresh OJ (none of that concentrate shit), and a splash (maybe a shot or shot and a half) of good Smirnoff vodka. Add some ice-cold sprite and serve with a stir stick. I find that with the above, it "settles" some, so you have to keep it good and mixed.

Ah, nice. Settling isn't so much of a problem.  Add the vodka first, then the OJ.  In my experience, it tends to mix well, no? Or do I just drink to fast?  I may, because I'm on the third one and I'm listening to the Wurzels at top volume.

[Tatertots]

Oh, I like to savor screwdrivers. Like, 1 cup in 30 minutes. Get that slow drip of nectar in you.

[Matt]

See, when I do screwdrivers, I was using my parents 20-year-old plus some Stolichnaya. I start with orange juice, then add vodka in a close to 2:1 ratio, maybe bump it up to a 3:1. I found that this works a little better for distributing the vodka, though I still stir it. I used to drink heavy concentrations of Smirnoff and grapefruit juice, but then all grapefruit juice started to taste like vodka.

Also, I only drink Tropicana if I can help it.

[nacho]

Smirnoff and grapefruit juice, but then all grapefruit juice started to taste like vodka.

A Greyhound!  I used to live by those.

[Matt]

They're really delicious; I love grapefruit juice. Yet it got old kind of fast. Margaritas still work well for me - tequila seems to give me that all-over buzz where I start to lose mental coherence, yet when I was doing shots of rum a month ago I knew I was getting drunk, but I was still mentally there. It was kind of a bummer.

[nacho]

Greyhounds do get old.  Like, never ever go back to them old.