Blue Monday Cocktail

Love it or hate it, Monday comes at us all every single week. After a restful and relaxed weekend, the arrival of Monday can be rather depressing. This Blue Monday Cocktail will help get you through it!

I’m old enough to know that there are basically two types of people when it comes to points of view on Monday. Either you love them or you hate them. That’s not extremely observant or profound, but it is what it is! My Blue Monday Cocktail might be just what you need if you are one of the latter!

I love a weekend just as much as everyone else, but I don’t see the arrival of Monday as something to be depressed or anxious about. To me, it’s the start of a brand new week; a chance to be just a little bit better or more productive than I was last week. It’s a chance to reignite my goals and dreams. To be honest, I rather look forward to Mondays!

If I’m being just a little too positive and optomistic for you, you can just ignore my babbling and scroll right down to the bottom to get the cocktail recipe. Ha! Believe me, Dear Reader, I’m not always a ray of sunshine, but I most certainly do have a postitive outlook on most things in life. After all, most situations are out of our control anyway, so just roll with the punches, right?

BLUE COCKTAILS

Why are blue cocktails so popular? I admit, I’m very new to the world of mixology, but I’m amazed at how many cocktails are vibrantly blue. A few weeks ago, I broke out my brand new bottle of blue curacao and started whipping up different blue-coloured cocktails. I have to say, out of the seven or eight that I made, this one was one of my favourites.

I will be sharing a few more blue cocktails with you in the future, but I had to share this one first, because it is just too good! So, what makes this cocktail so delicious? Simply put, Dear Reader, it’s the citrus flavour. Two of the liquid ingredients are citrus flavoured, and adding that twist of lemon gives the cocktail a little more zing!

WHAT IS BLUE CURACAO?

Curacao is a Caribbean liqueur made using the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit. Blue curacao is essentially the same thing, but it’s doctored with artificial blue coloring, which adds a bold look to cocktails. Don’t let its blue colour deceive you! This liqueur is very tasty with an orange and zesty tangerine-like flavour.

The blue colour was most likely used to connect the liqueur to its home of beautiful blue oceans and blue skies. But, to be perfectly honest, it’s probably because it just looks so beautiful. It’s certainly eye candy! In the 1960’s, it started to become really popular around the world, which is probably because Elvis Presley released his movie Blue Hawaii, another popular blue cocktail.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS DRINK:

• Vodka – Vodka is a clear, unaged spirit. It is produced using any ingredient that has fermentable sugars such as rye, barley, or wheat. It can also be made with potatoes, grapes, or beets too. In its purest form, Vodka is colourless, odourless, and flavourless. But, there are many variations, most commonly vodkas infused with citrus or berries.
• Triple Sec – Triple Sec is used in so many cocktails. It would be unthinkable to not keep a bottle as part of your bar basics. It is clear in colour, and it is fragrant with orange peel and juicy citrus aroma and flavour. There’s a good balance of bitter and sweet. Oftentimes, Triple Sec is deemed a lower quality orange liqueur. But, if it’s good enough for Ina Garten, it’s good enough for me!
• Blue Curacao – Curacao is a Caribbean liqueur made using the dried peel of the Laraha citrus fruit. Blue curacao is essentially the same thing, but it’s doctored with artificial blue coloring, which adds a bold look to cocktails. Don’t let its blue colour deceive you! This liqueur is very tasty with an orange and zesty tangerine-like flavour.
• Lemon Twist

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE COCKTAIL

To make your own Blue Monday Cocktail at home, measure the vodka, triple sec, and blue curacao into a cocktail shaker. Add enough ice to cover the liquid. With the lid on, shake for at least 30 seconds to ensure that the mixture is quite cold. Drain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a twist of lemon. Serve immediately!

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