The blue curaçao is the vibrant blue base, and the dark rum and agave syrup deepens the hue to an indigo blue. Feel free to change the sweetness and ingredient amounts to make the beverage your style.
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 1½ oz vodka
- 1 oz blue curaçao
- 1 oz fresh lemon or lime juice
- ½ oz agave syrup
- ½ oz dark rum (optional)
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill glass with ice (optional: add a couple citrus wedges between ice cubes)
- In a shaker, combine ice, vodka, blue curaçao, lime/lemon juice, rum and agave. Shake well.
- Strain into glass.
- Garnish: lime or lemon wedge/wheel.
Blue curaçao is an orange liqueur similar to triple sec. Its history is unusual. Around 1500, Spanish explorers planted Valencia orange trees on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, where the arid climate caused the fruit (known as "laraha") to become acrid and unpalatable. Locals later realized that peeling and sun-drying the bitter fruit released fragrant, rich essential oils. The Dutch took control of the island and began using the dried laraha peels soaked in alcohol and sugar to craft liqueurs.