Blue curacao, an orange liqueur, makes beautiful cocktails! Learn more about blue curacao and how to make the best blue curacao cocktails.
Blue Curacao is required to make a cocktail. You may have just found it in the grocery store but aren’t sure what it is. Do not let the colour fool your eyes. Orange liqueur is used in the bottle. It has a bittersweet taste similar to Triple Sec. It’s not clear like Triple Sec; it’s tinted with blue. This liqueur has been used for making blue drinks for decades. What is it exactly? Is it worth getting? Here are the facts.
What is Blue Curacao?
Blue Curacao, an orange liqueur, was invented by Dutch settlers in Curacao (an island in the Caribbean). Original Curacao liqueur was available in several colours, including clear, orange, red, green, and orange. Today, the most popular colours are blue and transparent. Varaha orange peel is used to flavour the liqueur, a unique type of orange tree that can be found on the island.
Since 1896, the original Curacao liqueur has been made on the island. Blue Curacao was first created by the Bols company and began selling in 1912. It has been popularized to make blue tropical drinks, which are often associated with beaches resorts.
Is Blue Curacao naturally coloured? Not! Its unique hue is due to its food colouring.
What is the taste of Blue Curacao?
Blue Curacao is sweet and orange peel-flavoured with a subtle bitter finish. It has a similar flavour to Triple Sec but with more bitterness.
Blue Curacao contains how much alcohol? The exact amount will vary depending on which brand you choose, but it is usually 25% ABV. This is the moderate alcohol content. It’s comparable to 40% ABV in spirits such as whiskey or vodka, vodka, and Gin.
Is there a substitute? As a substitute for Triple Sec or Cointreau, you can add a few blue food colouring drops to achieve the desired colour. (Really!)
It’s why we love it.
Blue Curacao is the best way to make bright, azure-tinted cocktails! It is artificially coloured, but it’s well worth the extra cost for occasional indulgences. It’s delicious in a brilliant Blue Margarita. It is distinctively bittersweet and easily recognizable as a drink…though you won’t be able to miss it just by the colour!
What is the cost of this?
Blue curacao is a cheaper liquor than other liquors. A 750ml bottle will cost you about $10. A mid-priced bottle is best as it will be indicative of overall quality. We love Drillaud, but we recommend you avoid the DeKuyper brand.
Most popular Blue Curacao drinks
It can be drunk straight, but you’d prefer to mix it with cocktails. These are the most loved Blue Curacao cocktails.
Blue Margarita
This blue margarita is as vibrant as the Caribbean waters, doesn’t it? Blue Curacao adds bittersweet citrus flavours to this margarita, which pairs well with lime and tequila.
Ingredients: Blue Curacao, tequila, lime juice
Blue Hawaii Drink
Blue Hawaii is a bright, green-blue beverage that’s just as stunning as the ocean. From the crushed ice to its umbrella, it’s as 1950’s-style as they come. This sweet-tart drink features vodka and rum, and blue curacao for its ocean-tinted hue.
Ingredients – Rum and vodka, blue curacao. Pineapple juice, lemon juice, lime, and simple syrup
Aqua Velva
This bubbly, bright blue beauty is the Aqua Velva. Mix it with soda water and fresh lemon juice for a refreshingly complex drink. The Gin’s botanical notes shine and pair perfectly with the blue curacao.
Ingredients: Blue Curacao, Gin, vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, soda water
Blue Long Island Iced Tea
The Blue Long Island Iced tea is a bright, tart blue beverage. It has earned a good reputation for its Long Island Iced Tea. This classic is refreshing and lower in alcohol than many cocktails. Blue Curacao is used to create this ocean-hued blue spin.
Ingredients: Vodka (Gin), white rum (tequila), blue curacao (lemon juice), ginger ale
Blue Lagoon Cocktail
Another blue curacao cocktail in electric blue? Meet the Blue Lagoon. This vibrantly coloured drink, which contains vodka and lemon, is simple, crisp, and clear. We prefer lemonade over lemonade.
Ingredients: Blue curacao, vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup
Blue Margarita
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ounces* tequila reposado (or substitute tequila Blanco)*
- 1-ounce blue curacao
- 1-ounce fresh lime juice
- Flaky sea salt for the rim
- Ice, for serving (try Clear ice).
- For garnish: Lime wedge
Instructions
- Make a notch in the lime wedge and wrap the lime around the glass rim. Dip the rim in salt or use our Margarita Salt to give it a festive look.
- Mix all ingredients in a shaker. Add 4 ice cubes. Mix until chilled.
- Add the margarita to the glass. Serve the margarita in a glass filled with ice.
Notes
*To convert to tablespoons: 1 ounce = 2 teaspoons
**To make blue margarita pitchers that serve 8, add 2 cups of tequila to 1 cup of blue curacao and 1 cup of lime juice. Mix in 3 tablespoons of ice. Stir until chilled. Serve in glasses.