The Florida State Beverage

Orange Juice

Seldom does the mere mention of a beverage bring to mind a state. However, whenever "orange juice" is seen, written, or spoken, the universal connection is Florida. Technically, the state beverage is "The juice obtained from mature oranges of the species Citrus synesis and hybrids thereof . . .," but the world knows it as just plain orange juice. During the Second World War, concentrated juice was developed . . . followed by a frozen concentrate that transformed orange juice production into a multi-billion dollar industry. Small wonder that the Florida Legislature of 1967 proclaimed orange juice as the official State Beverage.