Master The Blue Lagoon Cocktail With This Comprehensive Guide
The Blue Lagoon cocktail, with its stunningly bright azure tint, is a simple beverage. This renowned drink is revered in the pantheon of classic cocktails, celebrated worldwide for its flavour and visual appeal. It demonstrates how appearance can transform a simple mixture into a worldwide favourite.
The Blue Lagoon cocktail is widely regarded as an upbeat drink, and it has become a popular fixture in many establishments, especially during the summer months. Its allure stems not only from its bright colour but also from its approachable and consistent flavour. Whether an experienced cocktail drinker or simply looking for a flavourful glass, the Blue Lagoon cocktail provides a vibrant, citrusy, and gently sweet drink that is universally appealing.
The Blue Lagoon Cocktail Explained
The Blue Lagoon cocktail is a visually appealing and zesty drink that is well-known for its bright blue colour. It's a simple highball drink made with vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade (or lemon juice and soda water).
Because of its colour, it is frequently misidentified as a tropical drink. However, its flavour profile is unmistakably citrusy and slightly sweet, making it an excellent choice for the summer months. The vodka offers an alcoholic base that is mostly neutral, enabling the other flavours to show. Blue curaçao, an orange-flavoured liqueur, is responsible for both the bright blue colour and the sweet, delicate citrus flavour. Lemonade or fresh lemon juice offers the necessary acidity and effervescence, balancing the sweetness.
The drink's appealing colour and simple preparation have helped it gain enormous popularity in bars and resorts around the world, making it a favourite for anyone looking for a bright and lively beverage. It is frequently served with a lemon slice and a cherry to elevate its welcoming appearance.
Blue Lagoon Cocktail Ingredients
The traditional Blue Lagoon cocktail gets its bright colour and flavour from a simple yet effective blend of three main ingredients, each of which contributes significantly to its unique profile.
Vodka
This is the alcoholic foundation of the Blue Lagoon. As a neutral alcohol, vodka is mostly flavourless and odourless, which is why it works so well in this drink. It adds the essential base without competing with or dominating the citrus notes in the other ingredients. While the choice of vodka contributes to the overall smoothness, it has little effect on the taste profile, allowing the brilliant blue and zesty flavours to shine. Its clean nature keeps the drink crisp and flavourful.
Blue Curaçao
This is the key ingredient that gives the Blue Lagoon cocktail its distinct and attractive azure colour, as well as its secondary flavour. Blue Curaçao is an orange-flavoured liqueur that gets its colour from food colouring. It is prepared from the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit, which is a bitter orange cultivated on the island of Curaçao. Aside from its visual appeal, it has a sweet, delicate, and somewhat bitter orange flavour that balances the sharpness of the lemon. Its sweetness also plays an essential role in balancing the acidity of the lemon component, contributing to the drink's approachability and ease of drinking.
Lemonade (or Fresh Lemon Juice and Soda Water)
This component offers the necessary acidity, sweetness, and, in certain cases, effervescence to complete the Blue Lagoon cocktail. While commercially made lemonade is convenient, many recipes and bartenders prefer a combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and soda water (or lemon-lime soda for extra sweetness and fizz). Fresh lemon juice has a brighter, more natural acidity and zest than bottled alternatives. The sharpness of the lemon is necessary to cut through the sweetness of the blue curaçao and balance the drink, making it extremely flavourful. If you use fresh lemon juice, the soda water adds a lovely sparkle and lightness to the drink, making it more rounded overall.
Together, these three ingredients create a visually stunning drink: the neutral vodka provides the spirit, the blue curaçao provides the colour and a hint of sweet orange, and the lemonade (or lemon/soda mix) provides the necessary tartness and effervescence, resulting in a perfectly balanced and bright drink.
The Origins of the Blue Lagoon Cocktail
Andy MacElhone, the son of renowned barman Harry MacElhone, is thought to have created the Blue Lagoon cocktail at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1960s or early 1970s. It embodied the spirit of the time with its aesthetics and taste.
Blue Lagoon Cocktail Alcohol Percentage
When making a Blue Lagoon cocktail, the alcohol percentage is intended to be lighter. This precise measurement guarantees a controlled and consistent drink.
For such a recipe, which commonly calls for 30ml of vodka and 15ml of blue curaçao, the combined alcohol concentration before any dilution from other ingredients such as lemonade and melting ice is meticulously controlled. This exact proportion of spirits ensures that the overall assertiveness is moderated from the start.
Once the measured spirits are combined with lemonade and ice fills the glass, the total volume of the drink increases, and the alcohol is further dispersed. This dilution process, along with the specific initial alcohol volumes, typically places the final alcohol by volume (ABV) of the Blue Lagoon cocktail in the range of approximately 8.5% to 10.5%. This makes it an approachable beverage, without being overly dominant. The exact final percentage can still slightly vary depending on how much lemonade is used and the degree of ice melt.
Also Read: Blue Lagoon Cocktail With A Twist: 6 Syrups And Juices For A Unique Flavour Profile
Blue Lagoon Cocktail Recipe: Must-Have Equipment
Crafting the perfect Blue Lagoon cocktail at home, with its vivid colour and flavour, requires a few critical pieces of bar equipment. These instruments assure perfect mixing, cooling, and presentation, taking your beverage from good to amazing.
Cocktail Shaker
A cocktail shaker is an indispensable must for any Blue Lagoon cocktail. This drink's components — vodka, blue curaçao, and lemon juice — must be vigorously shaken to thoroughly cool and mix. Shaking also aids in the appropriate integration of flavours and somewhat aerates the drink, giving it a vibrant texture. Whether using a Boston shaker (two tins that fit together) or a Cobbler shaker (three-piece shaker with a built-in strainer and cap), both will effectively mix and chill the ingredients for the drink.
Jigger
A jigger is an essential measurement tool for precision in mixology. Typically, an hourglass-shaped device with two different-sized measuring cups (e.g., 1 oz and 0.5 oz, or 30 ml and 15 ml) ensures that each liquid component is precisely measured. Consistent amounts of vodka, blue curaçao, and lemon juice are essential for creating the Blue Lagoon cocktail’s trademark balanced sweet and tart taste. Using a jigger keeps the drink from becoming excessively sweet, sour, or assertive.
Strainer
After shaking, use a strainer to separate the perfectly cooled drink from the ice and pulp (particularly if using fresh lemon juice). While some Cobbler shakers include a strainer, a separate Hawthorne strainer (with a spring coil to keep ice out) or a Julep cocktail strainer is commonly used with a Boston shaker. For a pristine and crystal-clear Blue Lagoon cocktail, try "double straining" by pouring through a fine mesh strainer in addition to the main strainer, catching any tiny ice shards or fruit particles.
Highball Glass
The Highball glass is a traditional and ideal vessel for serving the Blue Lagoon cocktail. Its tall, slender design is ideal for holding a large amount of ice and the fizzy lemonade component, allowing the vibrant blue colour to stand out. The highball's capacity allows for enough room for all ingredients.
Bar Spoon
While a Blue Lagoon cocktail is primarily shaken, a bar spoon is still an effective tool. Its long, twisting handle is ideal for swirling the drink after pouring if more mixing is required, or for gently incorporating any more soda water without losing carbonation. It's also great for gently nudging garnishes into place, so the drink looks as good as it tastes.
DIY Blue Lagoon Cocktail Recipe
Here’s how you can make a Blue Lagoon cocktail at home:
Ingredients
- 30 ml Vodka
- 15 ml Blue Curaçao
- 30 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 60-90 ml Chilled Lemonade (store-bought or homemade, no added sugar)
- Ice cubes
- Lemon wedge and/or Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice cubes and put aside to chill.
- In a cocktail shaker, add vodka, blue curaçao, and fresh lemon juice. Fill the shaker two-thirds full of fresh ice cubes.
- Secure the cover tightly and shake rapidly for 10-15 seconds, or until the shaker is completely cooled on the exterior.
- Remove the ice from your cooled highball glass. Strain the shaker contents into the prepared highball glass with fresh ice.
- Top the drink with 60-90 ml of cold lemonade, adjusting for taste and volume. Stir gently with a bar spoon to combine.
- Garnish with a lemon wedge or a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.
Easy Frozen Blue Lagoon Cocktail Recipe To Try At Home
Try this simple Frozen Blue Lagoon cocktail recipe for a unique twist on the classic drink:
Ingredients
- 30 ml Vodka
- 15 ml Blue Curaçao
- 1 cup (approx. 2 large scoops) Lemon Sorbet (ensure it's well-frozen)
- 1/2 cup (approx. 120 ml) Ice Cubes (adjust for desired thickness)
- Optional: 15-30 ml cold water or lemon juice if needed for blending consistency
- Garnish: Lemon wheel or wedge, Maraschino cherry
Instructions
- Put the lemon sorbet and ice cubes in the blender.
- Using a jigger, carefully measure and pour vodka and blue curaçao into the blender.
- If there is a need for some extra liquid to get the blender working, add 15-30 ml of cold water or lemon juice.
- Secure the blender cover and blend until the mixture is entirely smooth and has a thick, slushy consistency. If it's too thick, add a small amount of water or lemon juice and blend again.
- Pour the frozen mixture into a chilled highball or hurricane glass.
- Garnish immediately with a lemon wheel or wedge, as well as a maraschino cherry with a straw or spoon.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
