deconstructing the screwdriver

The screwdriver, however classic, is so abysmally boring that I can barely stomach it. Of course, if one has fresh orange juice on hand, it can be bright and mildly acidic--something beautiful and simple and even serene. Yet even with it, there is something almost desperate about resorting to the vodka and mixer formula. It seems, like a rum and cola, to be something that you make when you are out of everything else.

Of course, I am out of everything else. I've been buying small batches of bourbon in small bottles once a month, and I haven't even made an April purchase. Almost all my liqueurs are useless without the proper liquors to complement them. My gin is cashed, my tequila despondent, and my rum perilously low. So, short of vodka and orange juice--two ingredients I happen to have--there is nothing to make.

Ordering the Conjecture

So I deconstructed the screwdriver. I'm fairly certain this has been done before, or done in some fashion, but I have purposely not done any research. Suffice it to say that this is as simple a recipe as it gets, and as such cannot be original. But it nonetheless works. I started with thyme-infused syrup, added fee brothers orange bitters (several dashes worth), and then splashed in a little lemon bitters as well. I topped it with Skyy Vodka and added a fat ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel properly zested, or broken, or even flamed.

The lemon bitters may or may not be a welcome addition--it depends on the type of bitters and the character which you are searching for. I would recommend starting without and adding as taste demands. This is what I did, and I am not less happy for the result.