The basic recipe
where it all begins
Fill a highball glass to the rim with ice cubes. The more ice, the deeper the blue looks.
Pour the spirit over the ice and top up with chilled lemonade.
Finally, slowly pour the blue curaçao over the rounded side of a bar spoon.
Garnish with a slice of citrus and serve immediately, while the gradient is still visible.
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Where does that blue come from?
Curaçao liqueur is made from the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter citrus fruit that grows on the island of Curaçao, a descendant of the Spanish orange that never became edible in the dry, salty soil but developed an exceptionally aromatic peel. The liqueur itself is naturally clear. The blue color was added in the twentieth century to make the drink stand out behind the bar, and it worked: the bottle is now more famous than the fruit. So you simply taste orange, and the color is entirely separate from it. The same liqueur is also available in orange, green, and red.
The right glass
With blue curaçao, the glass is not a detail but half the result. Always choose completely clear, colorless glass. Any tint or heavy faceting clouds the blue and turns it gray-green. Tall and narrow works better than wide: the color looks deeper, and the transition from light to dark stays sharper for longer. A highball glass from 33 to 47 cl is the standard; for creamy variations such as the Swimming Pool, use a hurricane glass.
Onis Icon Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Together € 57,90. Clear glass, exactly what blue needs.
The right tools
For Blue curaçao cocktails, besides the glass, you need a shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus juicer, and glass straws. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools together € 92,75.
What do you make these Blue curaçao cocktails with?
For these blue curaçao cocktails, you need blue curaçao. Well-known bottles include De Kuyper and Bols. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with, and which glass you need.
The six best-known blue cocktails
Frequently asked questions
What does blue curaçao taste like?
Bitter-sweet orange. It is the same type of liqueur as triple sec and Cointreau, but made from laraha peel and colored blue.
Which glass do you use for blue cocktails?
A clear, colorless long drink glass holding 33 to 47 cl. View our long drink glasses or, for the creamy variations, our hurricane glasses.
Why does my cocktail turn green?
Because the blue mixes with a yellow juice, usually pineapple or orange. Pour in the blue curaçao last, slowly and over a spoon, and do not stir afterward.
Can you replace blue curaçao?
For the flavor, yes: triple sec does the same thing. For the color, no. You need blue syrup for that, which is also the best option for alcohol-free versions.
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