Tuesday was no ordinary day on Capitol Hill, as Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware faced off to see who could make the superior Orange Crush cocktail.
This battle comes after Delaware lawmakers passed a bill to make the drink the official state cocktail. It combines orange juice, vodka, triple sec, and lemon lime soda, and it's taken quite seriously among Marylanders.
“I really do want to thank Delaware for the flattery. We know imitation is the best form of flattery,” said Sen. Cardin.
The cocktail originated in Ocean City, Maryland. It was first concocted at Harborside Bar and Grill — but that was just the birthplace, said Sen. Coons.
“All of us know that something that is wonderful when invented can be improved," he said.
The battle started out with the two taking slight jabs at each other, but all in good fun.
“We're great friends but on this issue of Orange Crush we have to draw the line in the sand,” said Sen. Cardin.
“We share a peninsula, we share a history, we share a hope, we share a yearning, we share a memory, and today we will not share a victory because we will have the best Orange Crush,” said Sen. Coons.
At the duel the two senators were set at separate cocktail making stations. A judging panel that included Washington Post Food reporter Emily Heil, Washingtonian food editor Jessica Sidman, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware waited in the other room so the judging could be “objective.”
Sen. Cardin quickly made his drinks, taking time with his presentation placing a straw in the drink and finishing with a garnish of orange. Sen. Coons took a bit more time, juicing his oranges and then filling his glass with ice by hand.
When the judges came back into the room they took notice of the presentation.
“First impression — it feels like this is a Top Chef challenge where one chef didn’t finish plating the dish,” Sidman said of Sen. Coons’ cocktail.
“When I was governor of Delaware, we used to compete with Maryland on who had the cleanest beaches, who was the best place to incorporate in, who had the best water, who had the best state parks, the best national parks, and all that stuff. I never imagined we’d be competing on this field today,” said Sen. Carper.
In the end, Sen. Cardin defeated Sen. Coons, securing the votes of three of the judges. The one vote for Sen. Coons' cocktail came from Sen. Carper.
After winning the duel Sen. Cardin read a proclamation from Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland:
“I, Wes Moore, Governor of the state of Maryland, do hereby proclaim the Orange Crush as the official Maryland drink of summer and do commend this observance to all of our citizens in Maryland and Delaware.”
