State may get an official cocktail: The Orange Crush

A new bill would make the Orange Crush the official cocktail of Delaware. (photo by Another Cocktail Blog)

The community could soon raise a glass with the First State’s official drink of Delaware.

House Bill 444, sponsored by Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, designates the Orange Crush as the state cocktail.

The Orange Crush cocktail is claimed to have been originated by bartenders in Ocean City, Maryland in 1955.

The drink has been a staple of the Starboard restaurant in Dewey Beach. 

HB 444 says the Orange Crush “has been made famous and become synonymous with Dewey Beach, Delaware and the Starboard in Dewey Beach, Delaware perfected the Orange Crush and serves the most Orange Crush cocktails of any bar in Delaware every beach season.”

It’s a refreshing summer drink, traditionally made with an orange-flavored vodka, triple sec and orange juice (preferably freshly-squeezed).

Orange Crush is often served in pint glasses or a mason jar over ice and topped with lemon-lime soda.

If the bill passes the House, it will move to the Senate, where it will need to be heard in a committee and pass the full Senate before being signed into law before the session ends June 30.

The drink already is associated with the state on many culinary sites.

On thedailymeal.com, a list of state drinks includes this disclaimer about the Orange Crush: 

“Many locals believe it’s not a true orange crush if it’s made with bottled orange juice — fresh is always the way to go.”

Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.

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