Aloha! The Blue Hawaii cocktail was created in 1957 by legendary bartender Harry Yee at Honolulu’s Hawaiian Village Waikiki Resort. He was asked by a sales rep from Bols (a Dutch distillery) to create a cocktail that featured Blue Curacao, a Caribbean liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange laraha, a citrus fruit grown on the Dutch Island of Curacao. After several experiments, he came up with a signature blue cocktail consisting of Vodka, Rum, Blue Curacao, pineapple juice and sweet and sour mix. It was usually served on the rocks with a pineapple wedge, cherry and cocktail umbrella garnish. Yee’s famous cocktail actually predates Hawaii’s statehood by 2 years and also rose to fame with the popularity of Tiki cocktails in the 50’s and 60’s as well as the Elvis movie Blue Hawaii, which came out in 1961. Hipa Hipa! (Cheers in Hawaiian)
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Jigger
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Hand Juicer
- Hurricane Glass
- Cocktail Skewers
- Straw
Ingredients – Serves 1
For the Garnish
- Pineapple
- Maraschino Cherries
For the Cocktail
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1 oz White Rum
- 1 oz Blue Curacao
- 2 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1/2 oz Simple Syrup *Boil 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Stir and let cool.
- 1/2 Lime Juice (fresh squeezed)
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)
- Ice
For the Mocktail
All ingredients listed above with the substitutions of:
- La Croix Coconut Water (sub for Vodka and Rum) to top at the end, gently stir.
- 1 1/2 oz Blue Curacao Syrup (sub for Blue Curacao Liqueur)
Directions
- Start by making the garnish. On a cutting board, cut the top and bottom off a fresh pineapple to create two flat ends. Sit the pineapple on the flat bottom end and cut the pineapple in half (length wise). Cut each piece again in half (length wise). You should have 4 long pieces. Cut each piece into 2-3 inch wedges (width).
- Skewer a maraschino cherry on a skewer, then a pineapple wedge, then another cherry. Set aside. Slice a larger pineapple wedge at the bottom making a slit to slide onto the bottom of the glass. Skewer the pineapple on top with another cherry. Set aside.
- In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the Vodka, Rum, Blue Curacao, pineapple juice, simple syrup and fresh lemon and lime juice. Shake until very cold.
- Pour into a hurricane glass with ice and garnish. Add a straw. Enjoy!
This cocktail is Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free
Please drink responsibly (don’t spill) and please don’t drink and drive.
