Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail Recipe

According to several places on the internet, the original sonic screwdriver cocktail recipe was invented in 2007 by a lady named Liz Milhern from Omaha, Nebraska. She just wanted something cool and nerdy to drink while watching her favorite show, Doctor Who.

Liz apparently published the cocktail recipe in her “online journal” (does that just mean a blog, before they were all called blogs?), but her page no longer exists. No worries! Plenty of people kept her recipe alive, and it’s a pretty simple one: vanilla vodka, blue curacao (instead of orange juice), and clear lemon-lime soda.

The thing about her recipe, though, is that it remains a very crystal-like blue color. But Doctor Who’s tool sometimes glows blue, sometimes green… So I made the slightest of modifications to help Liz’s recipe “glow” both ways, so to speak. And all I had to do was go back to the roots of the OG screwdriver cocktail.

Adding Orange Juice Back to the Screwdriver

Most adults (okay, most people who’ve ever had a drink, ever) are aware of the original screwdriver recipe: vodka and orange juice. It’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s a bar staple! This sonic screwdriver tips its hat to the classic AND Ms. Milhern’s simultaneously, and has a really pretty color!

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Ingredients Needed

I am super happy to report this cocktail will not break the bank – both vanilla vodka and blue curacao are very cheap. Plus, these are two types of liquor that are quite tasty on their own, so it’d be hard to make something icky with them.

Since I’m not a brand snob AND it’s mixed with several other flavors, I am perfectly comfortable using the cheapest vanilla vodka on the shelf – Burnett’s. For the blue curacao, I also use the very affordable Cheshire. As for the OJ and lemon-lime soda, my frugal self goes with Walmart brand! My highball glasses (that I got at my wedding) are a lot like these:

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One thing I have splurged on, though, is a cocktail shaker. It’s perfect for me because it tells me exactly how much of each ingredient I need to make basics like a cosmo, margarita, and LIIT.

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Making the Sonic Screwdriver

First, add ice cubes until it your shaker is half full. Then add the vodka, curacao, and orange juice. And look, the orange juice creates such a pretty green color with the blue curacao!

After straining it into the cocktail glass, top it off with some clear diet lemon-lime soda. You can use regular soda, that’s fine – I’ve just always found the mouthfeel to be too syrupy. Voila! A drinkable sonic screwdriver.

Flavor Review

Let me tell you something important about this cocktail: it. is. DANGEROUS. It tastes so good and goes down so easy, the next thing you know you’ve consumed two shots in 15 minutes and can’t wait for the next round. AND, we learned very quickly that it looks to a child like a very tasty Hawaiian Punch-style drink that they’re dying to get their hands on. So keep your glass out of reach of those quick little hands!

The flavor reminds me of party punch! It’s just all kinds of fruity and bubbly. It doesn’t taste like alcohol at all, making it all the more important you keep it away from your kids. The flavor won’t stop them from chugging it.

All in all, an A+ drink for binge-watching Doctor Who!

Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail Recipe Card

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Yield: 1 cocktail

Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

A minor tweak to Liz Milhern’s sonic screwdriver recipe and you’ve got a glowing green glass of goodness for enjoying a night in front of the TV! Doctor Who marathon, anyone?

Print

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces vanilla vodka
• 1.5 ounces blue curacao
• 2 ounces orange juice
• Clear lemon-lime soda (diet)

Instructions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes.
2. Pour vanilla vodka, blue curacao, and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Shake for at least 30 seconds.
3. Strain liquid into a highball glass. Top off with lemon-lime soda to taste!

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Nutrition Information

Yield

1

Serving Size

1 cocktail
Amount Per Serving Calories 239Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 17mgCarbohydrates 17gNet Carbohydrates 17gFiber 0gSugar 13gProtein 1g

Nutrition information is based on the manufacturer labels for each ingredient, and may not always be accurate. Nutrition facts for this recipe were calculated using diet soda.

Wanna try another original, unique cocktail recipe? Check out my Death Spasm cocktail recipe – it’s a great choice for New Year’s Eve!