“From Milan to London to the Lower East Side, everyone’s knocking back drinks the color of swimming pools”, the Financial Times reports. Once all the rage in the 80s and 90s, people are embracing bright blue cocktails of the decades past for the comfort and nostalgia they provide. These cocktails are usually given their vibrant blue hue by blue curaçao, a popular Caribbean liqueur made from the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit, along with blue food coloring. Sometimes craft cocktails can be taken too seriously, and blue drinks are here to inject some light-hearted theatrics and flamboyance into the cocktail experience.
When cocktails go viral
Blue cocktails are, of course, an Instagram goldmine. Unseen Bar, located in Milan, Italy, recently launched a blue cocktail named Pow3r Juice, and it was immediately a hit on social media. “The recipe is always changing, but the appearance of the drink stays the same – in that way it’s more like a meme,” says owner Milo Occhipinti. “The recipe was originally kombucha, tequila, fig and blue food coloring, now it’s raspberry vodka, verjus and blue curaçao. People don’t really care what’s in it though, they just come in saying, ‘I want that blue drink with the pink snail shell on it’, pointing at their phone.”
Jellyfish cocktail
The jellyfish cocktail is a popular blue offering appearing on drinks menus all over the world. This tasty tropical drink gets its name from its striking appearance: an aqua blue ocean streaked with white jellyfish tendrils. The jellyfish cocktail is made from a mix of blue curaçao, sambuca, and vodka, before being topped with cream (heavy whipping cream is best for creating the desired jellyfish appearance). After carefully layering the ingredients in the glass, they’re gently stirred together in order to create the attractive blue and white pattern. Although any vodka works well in this recipe, a clean tasting vodka compliments the other flavors nicely. Vodka distilled from apples, for example, has a crisp yet smooth taste that works well in cocktails, and can even be enjoyed neat.
Alternatives to blue curaçao
For anyone a little more health conscious, there are alternative colorings to blue curaçao. For instance, the Sunken Harbor Club, a nautical bar in Brooklyn, New York, uses organic blue-green algae powder in its blue zombie cocktail – a riff on its award winning white zombie, featuring coconut, grapefruit, lime, and plenty of white spirits. Alternatively, the Temple Bar in NYC uses blue food coloring to make their proprietary blue kampari, which is then used in their blue Negroni cocktail – along with gin and blan vermouth. Rome With A Blue is another popular drink on the menu: it’s made with dry vermouth, lime, sugar, and blue kampari.
Fun and nostalgic, blue drinks are back on trend. Not only do they look amazing, but blue cocktails also usually contain a host of tropical, fruity flavors that make them a total delight to drink.