If you’re thinking, “Hey that’s green not blue!” you wouldn’t be the first. In fact the Blue Hawaii is a completely separate cocktail than the Blue Hawaiian, which is blue. This cocktail was created by Harry Yee, the bartender of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1957. The drink is a classic tiki cocktail, and the drink that inspired me to spend many drunk hours inventing my own tiki cocktail, the Louverture.
What Is The Difference Between A Blue Hawaii And A Blue Hawaiian?
While the names are similar, the drinks are in fact quite different. The Blue Hawaiian is a pina colada with an added spash of blue curacao, whereas a blue hawaii forgoes the coconut cream for sour mix. I personally think the blue hawaii is the better cocktail, but we are all entitled to our own opinions.
Blue Hawaii Ingredients
- 1 oz (30 ml) White Rum. I used golden rum for this version because I was all out of white rum, and to be honest I like it more.
- 1 oz (30 ml) Vodka
- 1.3 oz (40 ml) Pineapple Juice. Freshly pressed is much, much better than from a carton.
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) Blue Curacao. Not gonna lie, I used regular curacao with a drop of blue food coloring since I couldn’t find blue curacao. Look at the picture though, does it not look the same?
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) Sour Mix. Better if homemade, rather than bottled.
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard. At least 15 seconds should do it, you want the pineapple juice to create a foam not unlike using an egg white in a sour cocktail. Strain into an ice filled poco grande glass, garnish with a pineapple wedge, a cherry, and a paper umbrella if you have one. Serve cold and enjoy.
Blue Hawaii
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Poco Grande (optional)
Ingredients
- 30 ml Rum Traditional is white, but I used gold
- 30 ml Vodka
- 40 ml Pineapple Juice freshly pressed
- 15 ml Blue Curacao
- 15 ml Sour Mix homemade preferred.
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with some crushed ice. Give a hard shake for 15 seconds to make the pineapple foam up, then strain into a poco grande glass. You can use a hurricane glass if you want to double the recipe.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry.
