The Blue Lagoon cocktail is easy-to-make, colorful, and the recipe only calls for four ingredients. Initially, it was three, but with our slightly modified formula, you get some extra freshness.
Jump to Recipe | About the drink | Ingredients | How to make it | Variations | FAQs
About the drink
Even though the bright blue cocktail looks tropical, it is not fruity. In fact, it is surprisingly tangy and citrusy - more so when you use fresh lemons.
It's a common belief that Andrew (Andy) MacElhone, the son of famous bartender Harry MacElhone, invented the Blue Lagoon. He allegedly created the cocktail during the late 1960s to early 1970s in his father's bar in Paris named Harry's New York Bar.
The drink's eye-catching color made it a massive success in the 1970s. It went in line with other fancy-colored drinks like the Tequila Sunrise and the Grasshopper cocktail.
Ingredients
A modern Blue Lagoon is based on Vodka and gets its tartness from the combination of fresh citrus juice and Curaçao. To make the drink, you need the following
- Blue Curaçao: is a Caribbean liqueur made of laraha fruit peels - a very bitter variety of oranges. The result is comparable to Triple Sec. If you haven't mixed drinks with the blue ingredient before and are unsure what to buy, try Bols or DeKuyper. They are fine quality and great value for money.
- Vodka: the spirit is perfect for this drink due to its neutral taste. Make sure you use a bottle of decent quality like Absolut, Ketel One, etc.
- Fresh lemon juice: We are replacing the lemonade from the original recipe with lemon juice and simple syrup. To make an actual improvement here, it goes without saying that the lemon juice should be freshly squeezed.
- Simple syrup: The syrup replaces the sweetness that would otherwise come from the lemonade. If you don't have simple syrup at home, you can easily make your own simple syrup.
How to make a Blue Lagoon
The classic method of preparing this cocktail is to shake it. Thus, you need a cocktail shaker and a Hawthorne strainer. The ideal glassware for this drink is the so-called Poco Grande or Tulip Glass.
Step 1: Add all ingredients to your cocktail shaker, close it, then fill your glass with crushed ice. Stick to that order to avoid the ice melting too quickly.
Step 2: Shake your drink until the shaker tin fills well-chilled (approx. 10 seconds).
Step 3: Strain the drink into the prepared Poco Grande glass and garnish with an orange wheel.
Variations
As I mentioned before, initially, Andy MacElhone's initial version was made with lemonade. You can always go back to the roots and use that instead of lemon and syrup.
Others add lime or raspberry cordial to the mix. However, I find the taste too artificial - the blue visual somehow even supports that impression, so I like to stick to natural flavors as much as possible.
Further, you can also prepare the drink with ice cubes instead of crushed ice, so it does water down more slowly. In that case, use a Coupe glass. The Poco Grande will be too large.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Blue Curaçao
- 1 oz Simple syrup
- 1.5 oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.
- Shake until the drink is well-chilled.
- Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with an orange wheel and a Maraschino cherry.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
When prepared with fresh lemon juice and syrup, the drink taste relatively tart. Mixed with lemonade, you get a sweeter version.
From Blue Curaçao. The color is artificial, and you can get Curaçao in other shades. However, for historical reasons, blue is the standard version.
On average, the colorful drink has an ABV of 15 - 18%. -Depending on the brands used and the level of dilution caused by the ice.