Blue Curacao

Photo: flickr user chispita_666

About

A orange flavored, blue liqueur often used to impart a citrus flavor and blue coloring to mixed drinks and shots

Information

Other names: Curacao

Translations: ブルーキュラソー, أزرق كوراكاو, 블루 큐라소, Blue Curaçao, नीला कुराकाओ, Blue Curaçao, 蓝色库拉索, Blå Curacao, Блуе Цурацао, Blue Кюрасао

Physical Description

a colourless liqueur made from the laraha orange peel, usually coloured orange or blue meant to give the drink an 'exotic' appearance and remind drinkers of it Caribbean origins

Colors: blue or orange (naturally colourless)

Tasting Notes

Flavors: citrus

Mouthfeel: Can be bitter, Citrus

Food complements: Compliments exotic flavours and often is served before or after a meal in a cocktail

Wine complements: N/a

Beverage complements: Often used in a miriad of mixed drinks, Ads colour and orange flavour

Substitutes: Triple sec

Selecting and Buying

Choosing: As with many drinks this depends on your tastes and price range. Purchasing a medium priced bottle, will certainly be good enough for hte purpose of tasting or mixing this liqueur into cocktails.

Buying: Most bars and liquer stores carry Blue Curacao

Conserving and Storing

Can be kept in any liquer cabinet at room temperature or cooler

Social/Political

Historically, this liqueur represnted a unique and unimagined result of Portuguese oppression of jewish people as well as their conquest in the New World. It is a representation of sharing between two parts of the world. This liqueur is a major aspect of Curacaos exportation.

History: Blue Curacao originated in the island of Curacao, an island just North of Venezuela. When the Portuguese came to the island during the conquest of New World they brought with them the bitter laraha orange used to make blue Curacao. In the 1800 a Jewish family of Portuguese descent, the Senior family began drying the peel and extracting it oils, then soaking them with alcohol and water, and finally adding different spices to create Blue Curacao.