Blue Curaçao

Blue Curaçao is an orange-flavored liqueur dyed bright blue, made from the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter orange grown on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The laraha descends from Valencia orange trees brought to the island around 1499; grown in Curaçao's arid climate, the fruit turned bitter and largely inedible, but its peel proved excellent for liqueur.

The liqueur itself dates to the 19th century, credited to the Senior family, who founded Senior & Co. on Curaçao in 1896 to produce it commercially. The now-famous blue coloring wasn't introduced until the 1960s, added for visual effect rather than flavor. Plain curaçao is colorless or amber; blue is one of several color variants of the same base liqueur, and the color carries no flavor difference of its own.

Blue Curaçao's sweet, citrusy flavor with a subtle bitter-orange edge makes it a staple in tiki and tropical cocktails, prized as much for its color as its taste. In the kitchen, it can flavor desserts, sauces, and marinades, pairing well with tropical fruit, vanilla, cream, and other citrus.