What to Drink on the Eastern Shore This Summer
Summer on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has its own flavor. You can almost taste it the moment you cross the Bay Bridge: salt air, steamed crabs, and a tall, frosty glass of something cold in your hand. At Baydream Believer, our waterfront home in St. Michaels has welcomed sippers, soakers, and sunset chasers for more than 18 years, and we love sharing the drinks that make this stretch of the Chesapeake feel like home.
This guide walks you through what to drink on the Eastern Shore this summer, where to find the best of it, and which local makers are worth a stop. You will find iconic Maryland cocktails, small-batch breweries and distilleries, family-run wineries, and a few frozen surprises along the way.
Pour yourself something cool. We have a lot of sipping to do.
The Iconic Eastern Shore Summer Drink: The Orange Crush
If you only have one drink on the Eastern Shore this summer, make it an Orange Crush. This citrus cocktail is so loved in Maryland that the governor recently named it the official state cocktail, and June 1 has been set aside to celebrate it. The classic build is simple: orange-flavored vodka, fresh-squeezed orange juice, a splash of triple sec, and lemon-lime soda over crushed ice.
The Orange Crush was born in Ocean City back in 1995, and it has since spread to nearly every waterfront bar across the Shore. You will see it on every menu, often with twists: a grapefruit crush, a peach crush in late summer when local stone fruit is at its peak, a “skinny crush” with club soda instead of soda, or even a watermelon crush during August melon season.
Local tip: A real Eastern Shore Orange Crush uses fresh-squeezed juice, not from concentrate. Watch the bartender squeeze it at the counter. If they reach for a bottle, politely look elsewhere.
Where to Sip Iconic Cocktails
These are the bars and restaurants where the Eastern Shore’s signature summer drinks come to life. You will find crushes, crab-loaded Bloody Marys, and rum drinks served with a real view of the water.
Harborside Bar & Grill (Ocean City)
This is where the Orange Crush was invented in 1995, so it is fair to call it a pilgrimage stop. The harborside deck looks straight out at the commercial fishing fleet, and the bartenders squeeze every orange to order. We always tell our guests it is worth the drive to the Lower Shore at least once a summer.
- Rating: 4.5 stars (nearly 3,000 reviews)
- Address: 12841 Harbor Rd, Ocean City, MD 21842
- Hours: Daily 11 AM to 9 PM (Friday and Saturday until 11 PM)
- Try this: The original Orange Crush, of course, or the grapefruit version if you like a little more bite
See Harborside Bar & Grill on Google Maps
Eastern Shore Breweries to Drink Local Beer
Local beer on the Eastern Shore tends to be light, fruity, and built for hot days on the water. Think raspberry blondes, wheat beers, session IPAs, and the occasional tart sour. Every single one of these breweries is worth a stop if you are mapping out a summer tasting trail.
Eastern Shore Brewing (St. Michaels)
The oldest brewery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore sits right in the middle of St. Michaels, an easy walk from the harbor. The taproom is casual and friendly, and they pour the kind of fruited IPAs and blonde ales that hit the spot after a long day on the boat. Guests routinely tell us the orange and grapefruit fruited IPAs are highlights.
- Rating: 4.5 stars (184 reviews)
- Address: 605 S Talbot St, St Michaels, MD 21663
- Hours: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday; open afternoons and evenings the rest of the week
- Try this: A fruited IPA flight or a summer wheat
See Eastern Shore Brewing on Google Maps
Ten Eyck Brewing Company (Queenstown)
If you are heading toward the beaches on Route 50, Ten Eyck is the perfect midway pull-off. The tap list is genuinely huge: hoppy IPAs, rich stouts, ciders, seltzers, and rotating summer sours. The food is excellent too, and the crowd is a friendly mix of locals and beach-bound travelers.
- Rating: 4.8 stars (257 reviews)
- Address: 205 Grange Hall Rd, Queenstown, MD 21658
- Hours: Daily noon to 8 PM (later on weekends)
- Try this: Whatever sour or fruited beer they just released
See Ten Eyck Brewing on Google Maps
Wineries for a Slow Afternoon
Eastern Shore wineries are made for summer afternoons. The general pattern is to look for crisp whites, dry rosés, and the occasional fruit wine, all of which sit well next to a plate of oysters or crab. Most of the wineries below do live music, outdoor tastings, and seasonal releases through July and August.
Bordeleau Winery at St. Michaels (St. Michaels)
A short walk from our front porch, Bordeleau’s St. Michaels tasting room is one of our most-recommended afternoon stops. Heather and Bob, who run the room, know their wines inside and out and turn every tasting into a small story. Guests routinely tell us it is one of the best tasting experiences they have had anywhere on the East Coast.
- Rating: 5.0 stars (87 reviews)
- Address: 500 S Talbot St, St Michaels, MD 21663
- Try this: A flight that includes a dry white and one off-dry blend
See Bordeleau Winery at St. Michaels on Google Maps
Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery (Vienna)
A working vineyard on a working farm in Dorchester County, Layton’s Chance is the kind of place where you can spend three hours, hear live music, and bring the dog. The wine list runs from dry to sweet, and they often pair tastings with food trucks on weekend afternoons.
- Rating: 4.8 stars (229 reviews)
- Address: 4225 New Bridge Rd, Vienna, MD 21869
- Try this: A summer rosé on the lawn
See Layton’s Chance Vineyard on Google Maps
Local Spirits, Distilleries, and Mead
The Eastern Shore has quietly built one of the more interesting small-batch spirits scenes in Maryland. Local rum, gin, vodka, and whiskey all show up on cocktail menus across the Shore. Three places worth a tasting room visit:
Lyon Rum at Windon Distilling Company (St. Michaels)
Lyon Rum is one of our favorite local makers and an easy walk for our guests. They have been crafting small-batch rum in St. Michaels for more than a decade, and the tasting room is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Their rum makes a serious crush even better, and the staff is genuinely knowledgeable about the production process.
- Rating: 4.8 stars (98 reviews)
- Address: 605 S Talbot St, Unit 6, St Michaels, MD 21663
- Try this: A rum tasting flight, then a take-home bottle for sunset cocktails on the dock
Gray Wolf Spirits (St. Michaels)
In the same building as Lyon Rum, Gray Wolf is a craft distillery focused on small batches and local grain. We send guests here for a flight of their gin and whiskey when they want to try something a little more uncommon. Easy to combine with a beer at Eastern Shore Brewing and a rum tasting at Lyon, all within a few steps.
- Rating: 4.6 stars (34 reviews)
- Address: 605 S Talbot St #6, St Michaels, MD 21663
- Try this: A gin flight; their botanicals are bright and lend themselves to summer drinks
See Gray Wolf Spirits on Google Maps
The Maryland Bloody Mary: A Brunch Tradition
If brunch is your idea of summer, the Maryland Bloody Mary is what you want in your hand. It is built on the same Old Bay seasoning that goes on every steamed crab, and it shows up on the Eastern Shore in its most extreme form: glasses rimmed with Old Bay, topped with blue crab claws, jumbo shrimp, pickled vegetables, slices of bacon, and sometimes even mini crab cakes on a skewer.
Locals call it a “meal in a glass,” and we are not exaggerating. The Maryland tourism board has called out Crabcake Factory USA in Ocean City for some of the most over-the-top Bloody Marys on the Shore, and most waterfront restaurants do their own loaded version on weekends.
Did you know? Old Bay was created in Baltimore in 1939, and the same blend of celery seed, paprika, mustard, and red pepper that flavors a crab steam goes straight into the rim of a real Maryland Bloody.
Summer Drink Trends You Will See This Year
The Eastern Shore drink scene is rooted in tradition, but it is not standing still. Here is what we are seeing on cocktail menus across the Shore in 2026:
- Spritzes everywhere. Bright, low-ABV spritzes are taking up real estate on menus. Look for orange, peach, and elderflower versions next to the usual Aperol.
- Local rum and gin. Bartenders are leaning hard into local spirits. If a menu offers a cocktail made with Lyon Rum or a Maryland gin, order it.
- Garden-driven cocktails. Herb-forward drinks with mint, basil, thyme, and rosemary, often paired with local honey or fresh fruit, are showing up at higher-end bars.
- Watermelon and peach infusions. Eastern Shore stone fruit and melons are landing in everything from spritzes to slushies. Watermelon is the breakout summer ingredient.
- Better mocktails. Zero-proof crushes, fresh-juice spritzes, and house-made shrubs are no longer afterthoughts. Several Eastern Shore bars now have full non-alcoholic sections.
- Crab and Old Bay garnishes. Beyond Bloody Marys, expect Old Bay rims on Micheladas, beer cocktails, and even savory crush riffs.
Local tip: Most Eastern Shore bartenders are happy to make a “crush” with whatever local fruit is in season. Ask for an off-menu peach or watermelon version in July or August.
Plan Your Eastern Shore Sipping Trip
There is no wrong way to drink your way through an Eastern Shore summer, but if you let us choose, it would include a fresh Orange Crush at a harbor bar, a flight of local rum, a glass of crisp white in a working vineyard, and a frozen mudslide on a sun-soaked dock. At Baydream Believer, we have spent more than 18 years helping guests build trips just like this, and we would love to help you put one together.
Ready to plan your own summer on the Shore? Take a look at our St. Michaels waterfront vacation rental and reach out to us when you are ready to book. We will leave the porch light on, and we will have a crush ready when you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular summer drink on the Eastern Shore?
The Orange Crush is the unofficial drink of summer across Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the official state cocktail of Maryland. It is built with fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange-flavored vodka, triple sec, and lemon-lime soda over crushed ice, and you will find some version of it at every waterfront bar.
What is the Maryland state drink?
The Orange Crush was named the official Maryland state cocktail in recent legislation, with June 1 set aside to celebrate it. Milk is also the official state beverage, but for summer purposes, the crush is the answer.
Where was the Orange Crush invented?
The Orange Crush was created at Harborside Bar & Grill in Ocean City, Maryland in 1995. From there it spread along the Chesapeake and up the East Coast.
What beer is the Eastern Shore known for?
Eastern Shore breweries lean into light, summer-friendly styles: blonde ales, wheat beers, fruited sours, and session IPAs that drink well with seafood. Standout local makers include Eastern Shore Brewing, RAR Brewing, Burley Oak, Ten Eyck, and Patriot Acres Farm Brewery.
Are there good wineries on Maryland’s Eastern Shore?
Yes. The Eastern Shore wine scene is small but growing, with a focus on crisp whites, dry rosés, and fruit wines that suit summer. Bordeleau at St. Michaels, Chesapeake Manor, Layton’s Chance, and Windmill Creek are the main names to know.
What should you drink with steamed Maryland crabs?
Two traditional answers: a cold local lager (a light pilsner, blonde, or wheat) and an Orange Crush. The bright citrus and crisp beer both cut through the rich, buttery crab and Old Bay seasoning beautifully.
