By Elaine Gordon · Published: · Modified:
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Gluten-FreeNut-FreeRefined Sugar-FreeVegan
This is the orange crush recipe that will have you sipping and singing all summer long. It's made with fresh orange juice and sparkling water for a bright and fizzy summertime drink. Make it with or without alcohol so everyone can enjoy!
Have you ever had an orange crush before? My first was at Seacrets (a bar in Ocean City, MD) and I was absolutely blown away. The orange juice and sparkling water combo seriously makes for the most refreshing drink on a hot summer day.
It's especially popular in Maryland, but beach towns all over now serve this delicious co*cktail and I just had to recreate it at home!
This homemade orange crush recipe brings the feeling of a happy, sunny day right into your own kitchen or back yard. It's a fabulous adult beverage, but it's just as easy to make a non-alcoholic version for anyone who prefers that.
What is an Orange Crush?
An orange crush is an alcoholic drink made with fresh squeezed orange juice, sparkling water, orange-flavored vodka and triple sec and is typically served over crushed ice.
It's the perfect drink for barbecues, lazy afternoons on the porch or warm evenings. It's also just right for days when you want to feel like it's summertime!
Ingredients
Get ready for a full dose of sunshine! I make this bright and refreshing summer drink using simple ingredients. See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
- Fresh-squeezed orange juice - from 2-3 large Valencia oranges
- Orange-flavored vodka - mandarin-flavored works well too. Plain vodka can be used in a pinch but you'll lose out on a lot of the orange flavor.
- Triple sec
- Sparkling water - use any citrus flavors such as orange, tangerine, lemon, or lime. Spindrift is my favorite!
- Ice - shake with ice cubes and serve over crushed ice
- Freshly sliced oranges - for garnish
How to Make an Orange Crush
- Squeeze the juice from fresh oranges into a measuring cup.
- Fill serving glasses with crushed ice until about ¾ full.
- Add orange juice, orange vodka, triple sec and ice cubes to a co*cktail shaker. Shake well.
- Pour into the serving glasses and top with sparkling water.
- Gently stir, then garnish with a fresh orange slice. Enjoy!
How to Make a Virgin Orange Crush
My three kids LOVE the non-alcoholic version of this drink! They feel so special when they get to enjoy a fancy drink with the grown-ups. All I do is leave out the triple sec and vodka, so their drink is just fresh orange juice and sparkling water served over crushed ice with orange wedges. They love it!
Vitamin C in Oranges
As we all know, oranges provide loads of immune-boosting vitamin C and that’s why it’s the main ingredient in this orange crush recipe! Evidence suggests that for some people, high doses of vitamin C might actually shorten a cold by as much as one and a half days. Yes please!
In addition, vitamin C fights free radicals to prevent or delay certain cancers and heart disease. It is essential for the growth and repair of bodily tissues, helps heal wounds, and repairs and maintains healthy cartilage, bones, teeth and skin.
As always, this orange crush recipe is vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free, and peanut-free. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
If you give it a try, I would love to see your pictures.Tag @eatingbyelaine so I can see, and be sure to drop a review below!
More Summertime Drinks
- Love Potion #9: Sparkling Cherry Spritzer
- Grapefruit Vodka Tonic
- Our Favorite Fresh Homemade Juices
- Strawberry Mint Lime Spritzers
- 2-Ingredient Piña Colada Mocktail (add rum to make it boozy!)
The Best Orange Crush Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 1 review
- Author: Elaine Gordon
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the orange crush recipe that will have you sipping and singing all summer long. It's made with fresh orange juice and sparkling water for a bright and fizzy summertime drink. Make it with or without alcohol so everyone can enjoy!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 3 cups crushed ice cubes (for serving)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) fresh-squeezed orange juice (from 2-3 large Valencia oranges)
- 3 shots (4.5 ounces) orange (or mandarin) flavored vodka (see notes for gluten-free recommendations)
- 1 shot (1.5 ounces) triple sec (omit for gluten-free and/or refined sugar-free)
- 1 can orange, tangerine or lemon/lime flavored sparkling water (I use Spindrift which is flavored naturally with real fruit juice)
- 1 cup cubed ice (for co*cktail shaker)
- 1 small navel orange for garnish, sliced into ¼-inch wheels the then wedges from the wheels
Instructions
- Divide the crushed ice between the 2 glasses so each glass is about ¾ full of crushed ice.
- Add the orange juice, orange vodka and triple sec to a co*cktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Pour into the two glasses filled with crushed ice.
- Top off each glass with the orange sparkling water.
- Gently stir then garnish with navel orange slices. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
To make this a mocktail, simply omit the vodka and triple sec. Add more fresh squeezed orange juice or sparkling water in place of it.
To make this co*cktail gluten-free, omit the triple sec and use one of these brands of gluten-free vodka:
- Tito's
- Crystal Head
- Ciroc
- Grey Goose
- Cold River
- Ocean
- Dixie
- Chopin
The traditional orange crush recipe uses Sprite for fizz and added citrus flavor. To keep this recipe refined sugar-free, omit the Triple Sec and Sprite and use orange/mango, lemon or lime flavored Spindrift which is flavored with real fruit juice.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: co*cktail
- Fruit
- Summer
- Gluten-Free
- Nut-Free
- Refined Sugar-Free
- Vegan
- Raw
- Easy
- Quick
Reader Interactions
Comments
Gustavo says
The orange crush co*cktail recipe was a refreshing delight! The perfect balance of tart and sweet made it an instant favorite at our get-together. I appreciate how straightforward your method was, making it a breeze to whip up a batch for friends. Thanks for a great recipe that's sure to be a repeat on our sunny days!
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