Curaçaos - Don't be affraid

We wanted to change things up a bit and introduce a different color palette to your mixology repertoire. We aren't usually drawn to the bluish frou-frou drinks that arrive with lots of fruit and an umbrella on vacation, however the Blue Ice is a tasty and easy to make lybation. Here's the scoop on Blue Curaçao Liqueur.

Curaçaos history - It's flavoured with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao. A non-native plant similar to an orange, the laraha developed from the sweet Valencia orange transplanted by Spanish explorers. The nutrient-poor soil and arid climate of Curaçao proved unsuitable to Valencia cultivation, resulting in small bitter fruit on the trees. But the aromatic peel maintained much of the essence of the Valencia varietal, and the trees were eventually bred into the current laraha cultivar.

Curaçaos flavour - The liqueur has an orange-like flavour with varying degrees of bitterness.

Blue Ice:

• 2 oz vodka
• .5 oz Blue Curaçao Liqueur
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice. Pour in a cocktail glass or in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of dried Pineapple.

Cheers!