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What is Blue Curacao? Blue Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit, which is then artificially coloured blue for effect.
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Have you ever seen Blue Curacao as a cocktail ingredient or maybe in a fancy cocktail bar someplace and wondered, What is Blue Curacao?
You might even have some follow up questions like, Is it just to make the cocktail go blue? Does it even have alcoholic content? What does it taste like?
But unless you already know for sure, these questions are very common.
So let’s answer most of your questions straight away.
What is Blue Curacao?
Blue Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit, which is then artificially coloured blue for effect.
Now let’s get into a little more detail.
The History of Blue Curacao
The story starts in 1527 when Spanish explorers brought the Seville Orange to the Island of Curacao.
Over time, the Sevilla Orange growing on Curacao developed into a bitter subspecies of fruit called the Laraha, which is generally considered too bitter for consumption.
At least, too bitter for consumption as a fruit.
Making it an ingredient into a Liqueur is something else entirely.
So How Was the Liqueur Created?
There is no definitive evidence to confirm who actually invented the Laraha-based liqueur, but the Lucas Bols distillery certainly stake claim to it and it actually makes a whole lotta sense too.
The Lucas Bols distillery was founded in Amsterdam way back in 1575 and it’s documented that back in the day, they had shares in the West and East Indies Companies.
What does this mean? This means that the Lucas Bols distillery would have certainly benefited from a cheap supply of spices and ingredients to make their drinks.
What About the Laraha Fruit?
They surely didn’t ship the Larah Fruit back from Curacao too? Would it even survive the journey?
The answer to that question is, no, they didn’t ship the fruit back from Curacao.
The Laraha ingredient that’s used in the liqueur doesn’t actually come from the actual fruit itself but from the peel.
The Laraha ingredient for Curacao actually comes in the form of aromatic oil, which is extracted from the peel of the fruit and it’s the oil that was shipped back to Amsterdam and used for the Liqueur.
Why is Blue Curacao Blue?
In its natural form, Curacao is actually clear in colour, but is artificially coloured blue pretty much for effect.
Why? According to the Lucas Bols Distillery, it’s because Bols “tended to add an element of alchemical mystery to his products” and colouring the liqueur blue was his way of doing this.
CuracaoLiqueurl.com suggests, “We think because it evokes thoughts of a tropical vacation with beautiful blue oceans and blue skies (there is mention in the 1930’s of a Dutch-style Curaçao version called ‘Crème de Ciel’, French for ‘Cream of Sky’). Another reason for the blue is that a cocktail simply looks stunning with some blue coloring in it. It is candy for the eye, which makes the cocktails much more attractive and an easier sell.”
And that makes a whole lotta sense when you think about it: the more attractive the Cocktail looks, the easier it is to sell.
Have you ever been to a bar, saw someone with a beautiful Cocktail and thought, I gotta know what that is! I want one! It’s only natural, right?
What Does Blue Curacao Taste Like?
Blue Curacao basically tastes like bitter orange and citrus, which is pretty much what you would expect with the Liqueur being flavoured with Laraha peel.
Is there Alcohol in Blue Curacao?
Blue Curacao is a Liqueur, so it definitely has alcohol in it.
The alcohol volume of the liqueur typically ranges between 15-40%, depending on the brand.
What Brands of Blue Curacao are Available?
Whilst the Lucas Bols brand is usually heavily associated with Blue Curacao, you’d be quite surprised by just how brands produce the bitter orange liqueur.
Here’s a list of popular brands:
Cocktails with Blue Curacao
Blue Curacao is a great ingredient to use in cocktails.
Why? Because it pretty much has everything you could ever want as a cocktail mixer:
- It has an enticing colour.
- It has a bitter orange taste that blends well with most flavours.
- It has a great amount of alcohol in it.
Naturally, we have a list of delicious cocktail recipes with Blue Curacao that we just have to share with you.
But first, let’s talk about how we can improve your cocktail-making game.
Perfect Your Cocktail-Making Game
We thought we’d mention the equipment we use in our recipe list for 2 reasons:
- It will improve the way your cocktails taste.
- It will improve the way your cocktails look.
However, the equipment is by no means essential to the making of these tasty cocktails, but it will improve your cocktail making and tasting experience – and not mention impress your family and friends!
So let’s first take a look at how you can improve the taste of your cocktails.
Improve the Taste
To improve the taste of your cocktails, a cocktail shaker is highly recommended.
Don’t know where to start with Cocktail Shakers? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
We’ve written a detailed article that compares some of the best Cocktail Shaker Sets Amazon have to offer. In short, our verdict is:
If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Improve the Look
One fantastic way to improve the look of the cocktail is to get the right glass for the cocktail.
In our recipe list below, we will recommend which is the right glass (or mug) to use with each cocktail.
Here are the cocktail glasses that will be used in this recipe list:
Right, let’s get back to the cocktail list.
Cocktails with Blue Curacao List
Blue Lagoon
Ingredients
- 50ml / 1.75oz Vodka.
- 20ml / .7oz Blue Curacao.
- 100ml / 3.5oz Lemonade.
Recipe
With Cocktail Shaker:
- Put Ice, Vodka and Lemonade into your cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Pour into a highball glass.
- Add a slice of lemon to garnish.
Without:
- Put Ice, Vodka and Lemonade into a Highball glass.
- Stir well.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add a slice of lemon to garnish.
Fruit Tingle
Ingredients
- 50ml / 1.75oz Vodka.
- 20ml / .7oz Blue Curacao.
- 5ml / .17oz Grenadine.
- 100ml / 3.5oz Lemonade.
Recipe
With Cocktail Shaker:
- Put Ice, Vodka and Lemonade into your Cocktail Shaker.
- Shake well.
- Pour into highball glass.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add Grenadine.
- Add slice of lemon to garnish.
Without:
- Put Ice, Vodka and Lemonade into a Highball glass.
- Stir well.
- Blue Curacao.
- Add Grenadine.
- Add slice of lemon to garnish.
Barbadoes Sunrise
Ingredients
- 20ml / .7oz Bacardi White Rum
- 15ml / .5oz Grenadine
- 30ml / 1oz Blue Curacao
- 100ml / 3.5oz Orange Juice
Recipe
With Cocktail Shaker:
- Put Ice, White Rum and Orange Juice in your cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add Grenadine.
- Add a slice of orange to garnish.
Without
- Put ice in Highball Glass.
- Pour in White Rum and Orange Juice.
- Mix well.
- Pour in Blue Curacao.
- Pour in Grenadine.
- Garnish with a slice of orange.
Summer Seen
Ingredients
- 50ml / 1.75oz White Rum
- 50ml / 1.75oz Pineapple Juice
- 50ml / 1.75oz Mango Juice
- 50ml / 1.75oz Lime Cordial
- 25ml / .87oz Blue Curacao
- 25ml / .87oz Lemon Juice
Recipe
With Cocktail Shaker:
- Add Ice, White Rum, Pineapple Juice, Mango Juice, Lime Cordial and Lemon Juice into your cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Pour into a Highball glass.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add a slice of lemon and a slice of lime to garnish.
Without:
- Add Ice, White Rum, Pineapple Juice, Mango Juice, Lime Cordial and Lemon Juice into a Highball glass.
- Stir well.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add a slice of lemon and alice of lime to garnish.
Mermaid Mule
Ingredients
- 40ml / 1.4oz Smirnoff Vodka.
- 10ml / .35oz Blue Curacao.
- 5ml / .17oz Lime Juice.
- 120ml / 4.22oz Ginger Beer.
- 1 Slice of Lime.
Recipe
- Fill a Copper Mug a quarter full with ice (crushed is traditional, if you’ve got it).
- Pour in your Vodka.
- Add your Blue Curacao.
- Add your Lime Juice.
- Pour in your Ginger Beer.
- Add a slice of lime for garnish.
Blue Hawaii
Ingredients
- 20ml / .7oz Captain Morgan White Rum.
- 20ml / .7oz Vodka.
- 15ml / .52oz Blue Curacao.
- 90ml / 3.16oz Pineapple Juice.
Recipe
With Cocktail Shaker:
- Add Ice, White Rum, Vodka and Pineapple Juice to your cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Pour into a Highball glass.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add slice of Pineapple to garnish.
Without:
- Add Ice, White Rum, Vodka and Pineapple Juice to a Highball glass.
- Stir well.
- Add Blue Curacao.
- Add a slice of Pineapple to garnish.
Blue on Blue
Ingredients
- 30ml / 1.05oz Vodka.
- 20ml / .7oz Coconut Water.
- 20ml / .7oz Cranberry Juice.
- 10ml / .35oz Blue Curacao.
Recipe
With a Cocktail Shaker:
- Add Ice, Vodka, Coconut Water and Cranberry Juice to your cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Pour into a Highball glass.
- Add Blue Curacao.
That’s one tasty-looking list of cocktails, right? Go try them!
Summary
So, what is Blue Curacao?
- It’s a liqueur.
- It’s made from the peel of a Laraha fruit.
- Laraha fruit is a descendant of Seville Oranges.
- The Liqueur tastes of bitter orange and citrus.
- One story suggests that is was coloured Blue because Lucas Bols loved making their Liqueurs stand-out.
- Other stories suggest that it is blue because it evokes beachside landscapes.
- It’s a fantastic ingredient for cocktails.
