The Festive Spirit You Need For Beautifully Blue Hanukkah Cocktails

Wintry holiday parties call for a certain category of cocktail — smart, chilled, dry — and frozen tropical drinks don't exactly fit the bill. Luckily, despite its reputation as a staple ingredient in such eponymous cocktails as the Blue Hawaiian and Blue Lagoon, blue Curaçao is more than a one-trick pony. It can add a vibrant blue hue to your cocktails for festive Hanukkah flair.

Don't let the blue hue fool you. Blue Curaçao doesn't taste like berries or candy-sweet in any way. This liqueur totes a tangy, bittersweet orange flavor (not to be confused with triple sec), mature taste wrapped in an eye-catching azure aesthetic. To make it work for your Hanukkah party, all it takes is adding a splash of blue Curaçao to your favorite elevated, citrus-forward cocktails. Thanks to its subtle orange taste, that liqueur will make a natural, non-clashing complement to most drinks with an existing citrus flavor profile. Our top two picks for classic cocktails to upgrade this Hanukkah are the French 75 and the lemon drop martini.

French 75s are wicked easy to assemble, making them a go-to for stress-free holiday hosting. Gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup are shaken over ice, poured into a flute glass, then topped with bubbly champagne or prosecco. To make it blue, just add a splash of Curaçao into the shaker. The flute glass and effervescent bubbly finish give this sipper an extra festive feel. 

Blue Curaçao also makes an ideal fit in lemon drop martinis, which are typically made with Cointreau, another orange-flavored liqueur. That Cointreau can be easily substituted with citrusy Curaçao for a sophisticated blue-tinted sipper, perfect for nursing over conversation with Hanukkah party guests. Simply combine the vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, and blue Curaçao in an ice-filled shaker to assemble. To serve, strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist and Luxardo cherry. These stemless Godinger martini glasses have a lower center of gravity for fewer accidental blue-staining spills at your party. 

For an inky indigo, wintry sipper, you could combine blue Curaçao, cranberry juice, and a splash of fruity kosher Manischewitz wine. Float a thinly-sliced starfruit on the surface of the drink for a Hanukkah-themed garnish. Alternatively, for an even simpler bubbly blue cocktail, you could pour an ounce of Curaçao into the bottom of a flute glass then top it with chilled prosecco. It'll yield a lower ABV beverage, but there's no cocktail shaker required to assemble; guests can even serve themselves if the Curaçao and prosecco bottles are displayed on the table in buckets of ice. Blue Curaçao usually clocks in around 25% ABV, but can range from 15% to a full-proof 40% depending on the brand.