Jun 13

Jun 13 Blue Cocktails—Yes or No?

What makes cocktails blue? Often, it’s Blue Curaçao liqueur, which …. I’m not exactly sold on. And yet, some of my favorite French cocktails have a cool blue hue. So—I’ve come up with a workaround.

Look closely at that drink—isn’t that just the loveliest blue hue—especially when you’re drinking seaside.

I was thinking the other day about this photo of Mr. Sportcoat, sipping his striking blue cocktail at the Hotel Metropole in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France. The cocktail was a lemony-gin mix that got its blue hue and a subtle orange flavor from Blue Curaçao, a liqueur traditionally from the Dutch Caribbean island of the same name.

What makes blue curaçao blue? Blue Curaçao’s flavor comes from the peels of bitter oranges grown on the island. The blue hue? Alas, that’s from food coloring.

I don’t have a problem with a little food coloring in my life now and then. What I do have an issue with is that the Blue Curaçao bottles I can find are either very top shelf or very bottom shelf. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to spend $125 for a bottle of top-flight Blue Curaçao to mix into cocktails … but I’m not going to pour any bottom-shelf plonk into my drink, either.

So, what’s a good-quality alternative to Curaçao?

The easy alternative is an orange liqueur, especially Cointreau. But if you go the Cointreau route, you’re not going to get that blue hue, which I kind of enjoy now and then.

My solution? For a high-quality alternative to Blue Curaçao, I use a not-blue orange liqueur, like Cointreau. And then I add a little non-alcoholic Blue Curaçao syrup for color. You don’t need all that much of the latter to get that pearly-blue effect, so honestly, you’re not sullying your drink. Just beautifying it.

Here’s the recipe:

Mr. Sportcoat Goes to Beaulieu: A Blue French Gin Cocktail

This cocktail is a variation on the “White Lady,” a classic cocktail of gin, lemon juice, and dry curaçao. I’ve seen something called the “Blue Lady,” but that’s kind of a tacky cocktail made with that variety of bottom-shelf Blue Curaçao I avoid. So, let’s just call this “Mr. Sportcoat Goes to Beaulieu.”

1 1/2 ounces gin (I’ve been enjoying Citadelle)
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lemon juice
A few drops of Blue Curaçao Syrup

Place the gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Cover with ice; cover the shaker and shake vigorously until well-chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe or small tulip glass. Add a few drops of Blue Curaçao syrup and let the color slowly sink to the bottom. Stir just a wee bit to incorporate some of the blue syrup in the drink, while leaving a layer on the bottom.

TALL COCKTAIL VARIATION:

As you will notice, Mr. Sportcoat is drinking a taller version of this drink in the photo. Here’s how to pull that off for a delicious drink that’s a great thirst-quencher.

Mix and shake the gin, Cointreau, and lemon juice as above. Add about 1 teaspoon of Blue Curaçao syrup to the bottom of a tall cocktail glass (aka a Collins glass). Fill the glass with ice. Slowly pour the shaken cocktail into the glass, doing your best not to disturb the Curaçao. Top off with chilled Fever Tree Light Tonic. Garnish with a citrus wedge.

But What If You Like Bitter Orange Liqueur?

So, what if you’re a purist who wants the bitter-orange flavor of a true Curaçao? I actually found a quality dry Curaçao on the middle shelf of the liquor store. The price ($32/750 ml bottle) was just right for mixing into cocktails. And hats off to the quality, too.

Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao: Great for Cocktails

Oh, and did I mention that this good-quality Curaçao is French?

It’s Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, which is flavored with those bitter Cuaçao orange peels, but also has a bit of Cognac in the mix, making it light burnished-orange in color rather than clear (like Cointreau).

It is a gorgeous cocktail ingredient, adding that luscious deep orange flavor, but with added depth wrought through Cognac.

So far, I’ve tried it in a margarita (in place of Cointreau), in my Coucher de Soleil cocktail. I also tried it in the pearly blue cocktail, above. However, to make it blue, I had to add a lot more of the Blue Curaçao syrup than some folks might want to. In fact, Natalie, a reader, sent me the shot, at right, which shows a drink of a very different color. It’s still very pretty, n’est-ce-pas? But it’s not blue.

So, if you want a true Blue cocktail, go for a clear orange liqueur (like Cointreau). But if you don’t mind a pretty green drink, then either Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao or Grand Marnier will do the trick. Either way, it’s a very tasty—and stylish—cocktail.