ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
For decades, Orange Crushes have been Marylanders' go-to cocktail on beach trips and sweaty nights. Now, Maryland has declared the vodka-based drink its official state cocktail. Scott Maucione from member station WYPR takes it from here.
SCOTT MAUCIONE, BYLINE: On a warm afternoon in late May, just feet away from the Baltimore Orioles' ballpark, hundreds of people pack into Pickles Pub. There's a beer garden with a hollowed-out school bus, and at the indoor bar, the walls are painted dill pickle green and decked out in baseball memorabilia. But still, it's not hard to spot Maryland's new state cocktail. The Orange Crush is known for its distinctive orange tint, and Pickles customers can get their fill with whopping 32-ounce servings of the drink.
TOM LEONARD: I would say, five years ago, that we were a beer bar.
MAUCIONE: Tom Leonard's a co-owner of the bar.
LEONARD: And we are a Crush pub 100% now. I mean, it's like, the No. 1 thing is the Orange Crush. But yeah, it's taken off. It is the drink.
MAUCIONE: For those uninitiated into the nuances of Maryland cuisine, Crushes consist of lots of ice, vodka, triple sec, Sprite and, of course, fresh-squeezed oranges.
JESSICA SULLIVAN: If you don't have the fresh-squeezed juice, it's not even worth it.
MAUCIONE: Jessica Sullivan's a bartender at Pickles who's serving Orange Crushes today.
SULLIVAN: They're definitely just, like, a light summer drink that's, like, an easy drinker. It doesn't taste too much like alcohol. They go down nice and easy. Not too sweet, not too fruity - they're - definitely become everybody's favorite drink that comes around here, for sure.
MAUCIONE: She's pouring up six to seven Crushes at one time to keep up with the packed sports fans two or three deep at the bar.
(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SHAKING)
MAUCIONE: Roland Joyce is slaking his thirst with A Crush.
ROLAND JOYCE: Orange juice is, like, a great drink that everyone loves. And then you can give a little twist to it.
MAUCIONE: He says Maryland's known for a handful of alcoholic beverages. National Bohemian Beer, or Natty Boh, is on tap everywhere you look. Oyster shooters are abound, and Clamatos with Old Bay rims are constantly on special. But Joyce says the Crush deserves the limelight - or the orange light, in this case.
JOYCE: Love Old Bay, but I think it's time for the Crush to shine.
MAUCIONE: And Maryland state legislators agree. They, along with Governor Wes Moore, passed a law designating the drink the state cocktail. On a typical Friday, Pickles goes through more than 5,600 oranges, and about four to five oranges go into each 32-ounce drink. Over at one of the tables, Elizabeth McPhearson and Faith Weston are sipping on their Crushes. McPhearson's from Maryland and says all her friends have to try a Crush before an Orioles game.
ELIZABETH MCPHEARSON: They're just - they're so good. They're so refreshing. They're summer. They're just - they're what I think of for summer in Maryland.
MAUCIONE: She's treating Weston to her first Crush.
FAITH WESTON: Well, I am not a vodka drinker. This has a lot of vodka in it, but it doesn't taste bad. Would I order it again outside of a baseball game? Probably not (laughter). But it's not bad.
MAUCIONE: And just like in baseball, you can't win them all, but personally, I can attest after just a sip, Maryland's state cocktail is here to stay. For NPR News, I'm Scott Maucione in Baltimore.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ORANGE CRUSH")
R E M: (Singing) Follow me, don't follow me. I've got my spine, I've got my orange... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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