Blue Hawaii

The Blue Hawaii is a cocktail that is all about the color – and while some people might feel like blue isn’t a color that belongs in food, I tend to think that there is nothing wrong with playing with your food a little bit, even if that means turning it blue! The drink was invented in 1957 by bartender Harry Yee, who worked at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa and was asked by a representative from Bols to create a drink using the brand’s new Blue Curacao liqueur. Yee needed to start with elements that were light in color, so that the blue wouldn’t get diluted. He also needed to use flavors that worked with orange, since the liqueur isn’t flavored like a blueberry in spite of its coloration. The result was the Blue Hawaii, a refreshing blend of curacao, pineapple and lemon (along with both rum and vodka) that captured the flavor of the Hawaiian islands and the color of the ocean.

I always get a kick out of drinking one of these, but the downside is that they tend to turn your teeth blue when you drink them. This might not be much of a problem when you’re on your first drink, but by drink number two it’ll be hard to miss. That makes this a better drink for a night with friends than for a date night with someone you don’t know all that well yet – unless they’re drinking them, too!

Blue Hawaii

3/4 oz. Light Rum
3/4 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Blue Curacao*
3 oz. Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and an umbrella, if you have one.

Serves 1.

*Bols is the original, but we have been opting for Drillaud Blue Curacao lately. It has a fantastic fresh orange flavor and isn’t too sweet, but it still has that vibrant blue color.