DeKuyper Blue Curacao (20%)

The birth of Blue Curacao is related to a story where a distilled spirit made from bitter, small oranges made from the island of Curacao was put into wooden barrels and shipped to Europe. Apparently, the bitter orange somehow reacted with the wood, and upon arriving in Europe, the distillate in the barrel was slightly bluish. In its current form, Blue Curacao liqueurs are of course strongly colored. The manufacturer says the color is natural, but no more detailed information is given. The drink type was developed by the Dutch company Bols, which was also quickly copied by the DeKuyper in its own range. The liqueur is made from lemon, orange and sour orange. A 50 cl bottle cost €10.

The blue color is very strong, just a couple of drops are enough to color the water bluish. The edges of the glass also remain blue. I bet that if you drink it a few shots, the color will also carry over to the toilet bowl. The nose is sweet and citrusy. The mouthfeel is quite thick, but the liqueur itself is not utterly sweet. The acidity and bitterness from the sour orange nicely balances the taste. The taste is nothing special. Sweet, orange, citrusy, slightly bitter in the aftertaste. Balanced, but also rather dull. It’s not very exciting to sip neat, for sure it is meant for cocktails. Blue Curacao can be easily used instead of triple-sec. The flavor profile is almost the same, just more sweeter and less aromatic. 

78/100

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