This sonic screwdriver cocktail recipe isn’t technically original. The old fashioned screwdriver is a classic, and someone else created a “sonic screwdriver” (without orange juice) at least a decade ago.
According to several places on the internet, the original recipe was invented in 2007 by an (I assume) lovely lady named Liz Milhern from Omaha, Nebraska. She just wanted something cool and nerdy to drink while watching her favorite show, Doctor Who. (The sonic screwdriver is an extremely versatile tool used in the show, with many different versions.)
Liz apparently published the cocktail recipe in her “online journal” (does that just mean a blog, before they were all called blogs?), but I wasn’t able to track down said site, so I assume it 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.
If you don’t know what Doctor Who’s sonic screwdriver actually looks like, check out the video below!
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!
It’s also the drink that kicked off the one and only evening I ever got black-out drunk… But that’s a story for another time. One I’ll tell you someday because believe me, I learned my lesson!
The point is, any ol’ college student can put together a screwdriver. My sonic screwdriver tips its hat to the classic AND Ms. Milhern’s simultaneously, and has a really pretty color!
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Getting the Ingredients Needed
I am super happy this cocktail did not break the bank – both vanilla and vodka and blue curacao are very cheap. (There’s no way I could afford to drop another $35 on a new cocktail experiment like I did for the Death Spasm Cocktail – though I still have that bottle of absinthe!) 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.
My local liquor store had a handful of vanilla vodkas, including the pricier Skyy. But since I’m not a brand snob AND it’s mixed with several other flavors, I was perfectly comfortable going with the cheapest on the shelf – Burnett’s.
There was exactly one blue curacao available, and it happened to be the very affordable Cheshire.
As for the OJ and lemon-lime soda, my frugal self went with Walmart brand!
I already had some hi-ball glasses I got a long time ago when I first got married. They’re a lot like these:
- Four 16-ounce cooler glasses in clear, features a heavy sham to…
- Made of glass
- Part of the popular libbey midtown series of glassware
- Dishwasher safe
- Made in USA
A few months ago I’d done some “good mood” shopping at Target. By that I mean, I was feeling good and like money was no object so I should just buy things that make me happy… And that is how I ended up with a fancy new 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.
- Recipes printed right on the glass
- Markings let you know just the right amount of liquid to pour
- Glass cocktail shaker
- Stainless steel jigger and strainer top
- Holds 14-ounce
But it’s gone unused since before Halloween. Ugh.
HOWEVER! I’m redeeming my shopping spree now by putting it to good use for this recipe!
A Tasty Teal Glow
Gonna be totally honest for a second – I felt super cool watching Josh use the cocktail shaker. I could pretend for a second that we owned a fancy stocked bar and threw parties where I had more than two friends (and we all had time to hang out and drink). Ahh, fantasies. Or, just memories of life before children.
I digress.
Using the cocktail shaker was super easy! First, I added ice cubes until it was half full. (BTW, am I the only one who opens the freezer door and pulls the cubes straight out because the dispenser always makes a flaky ice mess?? Please tell me I’m not alone.)
Then I just added the vodka, curacao, and orange juice. And look, the orange juice created such a pretty green color with the blue curacao!
After straining it into the cocktail glass, I topped it off with some Walmart-brand clear diet lemon-lime soda. You can use regular soda, that’s fine – I’ve just always found it to be too syrupy. (And I love, love, love sugar.)
Voila! Bright Color Mom’s sonic screwdriver cocktail recipe.
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 boogers!
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.
Truthfully, even though both vodka and curacao have a relatively high alcohol content (35-40%), the only thing I felt after quickly downing this sonic screwdriver cocktail was sweaty. I wasn’t dizzy or sleepy like I am after too much wine. I’m confident I could keep drinking these bad boys till the cows come home (or I puke, whichever comes first).
Using the shaker was a good idea because, with the orange juice involved, I don’t think it would’ve been as good with room-temperature alcohol. We actually put our drinks back in the fridge for a bit while we fed the kids lunch (ummm, it was 5 o’clock somewhere when we made these), and they were very, very good – nice and cold.
All in all, an A+ drink for binge-watching Doctor Who!
Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail Recipe Card
Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail Recipe
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?
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces vanilla vodka
- 1.5 ounces blue curacao
- 2 ounces orange juice
- Clear lemon-lime soda (diet)
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes.
- Pour vanilla vodka, blue curacao, and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Shake for at least 30 seconds.
- Strain liquid into a hi-ball glass. Top off with lemon-lime soda to taste!
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Nutrition Information
Yield
1Serving Size
1 cocktailAmount 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.
Rate & Review
Did you try the sonic screwdriver cocktail recipe with orange juice? Rate and review it below!
If you don’t like orange juice, try pineapple juice – and let me know how it tastes. (We did, and we preferred the orange juice version, but the pineapple juice isn’t bad!)
This looks unreal!!! I’ve bookmarked to try this at home ❤️
This looks and sounds delicious! I love that you added that kids think it looks like a drink for them. Keep those grubby hands away, Kids! I will have to try this soon!
This absolutely sounds amazing. I just raided the cabinet and I am missing a few necessities in order to make this. Can’t wait to try this!
Oops. I think you meant 30 SECONDS. Otherwise, that’s a lot of shaking!
LOL Thanks for the catch! It’s fixed.