Last Updated on September 13, 2021 by laurenpacek

Ever wanted to have some key lime pie... but in boozy drink form?

This Key Lime Pie Crush Cocktail is sweet, tart, and totally refreshing. It tastes just like a boozy piece of key lime pie, but in a glass!

Are you familiar with Crush cocktails?

If you are, you know what the hype is all about.

If not... well, let me enlighten you. A Crush is a cocktail that's named for "the swift yanking of an industrial press juicer that flattens fresh orange halves sending frothy OJ plummeting into a pint glass filled with ice, vodka and triple sec.” Orange is the OG Crush cocktail flavor, hence the previous description.

Basically, Crushes tend to be made up of a few key ingredients: fresh fruit juice, vodka (sometimes plain, sometimes flavored), triple sec (sometimes), and lemon lime soda. Oh, and lots of crushed ice, naturally. With that basic formula, you can achieve a variety of delicious flavors.

You'll find Crushes on the menu at bars and restaurants all over the Baltimore and DMV region (the area where Delaware-Maryland-Virginia meet). And for good reason. They're great all year round, but especially during the summer when the weather heats up and the humidity gets a bit out of control.

What ingredients go into this Crush?

• Whipped cream vodka: Spend a little time poring over the flavored vodka section of your liquor store and you're sure to spot a bottle of whipped cream vodka. I often see Pinnacle brand.
• Key lime juice: You can juice a bunch of key limes if you can find them in stores (they're pretty small, so it takes quite a few), or feel free to use a good quality bottled variety of juice. Given that key limes are often not available in stores (and how good the bottled juice can be), this is the one of the few instances where I'll give the okay to sub a bottled juice in place of fresh. I like to use this one. I've found it to be readily available in Harris Teeter, Publix, and Safeway grocery stores. Hopefully your store will have it on hand, too. You can also use regular lime juice in a pinch, but the flavor won't be exactly the same as if you used key lime juice.
• Lemon lime soda: Use Sprite or something similar.
• Whipped cream: No need to be fancy and make your own from scratch. Just grab a can of whipped cream and get to spraying!
• Lime wheel: Technically optional, but very much recommended. It looks very pretty!

How do you make a Key Lime Pie Crush Cocktail?

It's easy enough!

Vodka and key lime juice are added to a tall glass with ice. Top that with lemon lime soda, and stir.

Now, it's time to garnish the drink. A healthy amount of whipped cream and a lime wheel round things out!

Other key lime-flavored recipes

I have a couple for you! These Key Lime Pie Cookies are delicious. They're a fun twist on a flavor that's usually only found in pies.

And, of course, here's a recipe for Key Lime Pie. I've made this time and time again. It's consistently a hit. And really, now that I think about it, I think it might be time to make it again.

Other Crush recipes

You owe it to yourself to try out as many as you can. They're so refreshing and delicious! Though I did say that regular orange is the OG flavor (a great option!), I haven't yet blogged about it. (Note to self: do that soon!)

HOWEVER, you can check out my Orange Creamsicle Crush, as well as my Grapefruit Crush recipe. Not to toot my own horn, but they're both so good that it's hard to pick a favorite between the two.

Better make both, along with this Key Lime Crush, and taste for yourself. You know, in the interest of science ;). 

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What should I have on hand in order to make this cocktail?

• Like we've talked about, you can pick up a bottle of this key lime juice.
• Tall cocktail glasses
• A jigger, to measure out the booze and juice
• A citrus juicer (I use this one so much)
• A bar spoon, to gently stir everything together

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