In the final minutes of Maryland’s recent legislative session last week, lawmakers passed a bill designating an official state cocktail, known affectionately as the “Orange Crush.”
The drink was created 30 years ago at the Harborside Bar and Grill in Ocean City, when co-owner Chris Wall and some others on staff were mixing drinks and came up with this unique recipe.
It’s equal parts triple sec and orange vodka, a freshly squeezed orange and a splash of Sprite.
“They’ve been coming in and asking for them for years,” Wall told WTOP. “We are the original creators.”
The cold, summery drink has spawned several variations, all of the citrus variety, including the Lime Crush.
On a busy night, the drink is 45% of the establishment’s total alcohol sales. But a year ago, in the eyes of Maryland officials, members of the state legislature in Wilmington, Delaware, “stole” the coveted title, when they passed a bill claiming bartenders there “perfected” the drink.
Last August, then Delaware Gov. John Carney signed a law saying the drink was the official state cocktail and they were “made famous and become synonymous with Dewey Beach, Delaware,” the bill stated.
“Delaware wanted to make it their state drink, and there are a lot of people in Maryland who said that wasn’t right,” Wall said.
Then, Maryland Del. Wayne Hartman stepped in. Besides enjoying an Orange Crush on occasion, he wanted to protect his state’s bar and alcohol industry.
Hartman represents District 38C, which includes Wicomico and Worcester counties. He’s been working on a bill for the entire 90-day session to get the legislature to declare the Orange Crush the official cocktail of the state of Maryland. But it was a difficult and down-to-the-wire battle.
“I want the Orange Crush to be as synonymous as the Maryland crab cake,” Hartman said.
After all, Hartman said Maryland is the No. 1 state for orange vodka sales and his bill had the support of the Maryland Tourism Coalition, the Restaurant Association of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Commerce.
With some maneuvering in the legislature, Hartman got the bill attached to another relevant bill as an amendment and it was brought to the floor of the legislature in the final minutes of the session and adjournment.
Republicans and Democrats rallied around the bill, and it passed unanimously, with two minutes to spare.
“The Orange Crush belongs to Maryland,” he said. “We’ve all seen the bumper stickers that Virginia is for Lovers; Maryland is where you had your first crush.”
After the vote, Hartman said he invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers to have an Orange Crush cocktail to toast their victory and the end of the legislative session.
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