Fresh-squeezed is ideal for anything citrus-forward. Store-bought not-from-concentrate (Simply Orange, Tropicana 100%) is acceptable for longer drinks where the juice isn’t the star. Avoid anything labelled ‘from concentrate’ or with added sugar; they give a flat, one-note flavour that kills a Mimosa and muddles a Tequila Sunrise.

Fresh-squeezed for Mimosas, Margaritas with a splash, or any drink where the juice is 40% or more of the final glass. Carton is fine for Screwdrivers and anything where the spirit dominates. The cheat code: squeeze oranges the day before a brunch, keep the juice in a sealed bottle overnight, pour the next morning. Beats every carton by a mile.

Ratio. A Mimosa is 50/50 champagne and OJ. A Buck’s Fizz is two parts champagne to one part OJ, so it tastes drier and more champagne-forward. Mimosas are brunch in New York. Buck’s Fizz is brunch in London. Same spirit, different accents.

Most things benefit from a splash. Orange juice softens harsher spirits, adds sweetness and body, and plays well with tequila, vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey. Classic partnerships: Screwdriver (vodka), Tequila Sunrise (tequila), Harvey Wallbanger (vodka + Galliano), Fuzzy Navel (vodka + peach schnapps). It’s harder to name a spirit OJ doesn’t work with.

Because it was invented by American oil workers in Iran in the 1940s who were allegedly stirring vodka into orange juice with the screwdrivers they had on hand. The story is probably half-true. What’s definitely true is that a simple cocktail survives for 80 years because it’s hard to get wrong and takes 30 seconds to make.