Orange Curaçao

Rum-based, often aged orange liqueur from the Caribbean tradition.

Liqueurs Curaçao / France 40% ABV
Flavor profile: citrussweetboozy

Curaçao is the ancestor of triple sec: an orange liqueur made from the dried peels of the laraha orange (a bitter descendant of the Valencia grown on the Dutch island of Curaçao), originally built on a rum or brandy base and often lightly aged. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao is the cocktail-world favorite — rich, slightly dry, with the body that a classic Mai Tai demands. Blue curaçao is the same flavor with food coloring.

Common uses

Mai Tai, tiki drinks, Sidecars wanting more weight.

Cocktails that use Orange Curaçao

  • Mai Tai — Aged Jamaican rum, orgeat, orange curaçao, and lime — the tiki benchmark

Substitutes

  • Cointreau — Cleaner and clearer — misses the oak and body.