Curaçao

Curaçao is an orange flavoured liqueur that is made from the peel of oranges grown on the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

The ingredients include Curaçao Orange Peel, lemons, sugar and other fruit. The peel, along with the leaves and blossoms, is soaked in alcohol so that the alcohol absorbs the flavour. The alcohol is then distilled once to concentrate the taste.

The oranges are known as “laraha”; they are a variant of Valencia oranges. See separate entry on Curaçao Orange Peel.

There are five different-coloured variants of the liqueur called Curaçao. All taste the same, except that they vary in minor degrees of bitterness. Any colourings come from food dyes. The colourings are just for appearance; the utility is in the colour effect they can produce in different mixed drinks.

Blue Curaçao

Coloured blue

Green Curaçao

Coloured green

Orange Curaçao

Also just called Curaçao. Coloured orange. (No, it’s not naturally orange because of the orange peel; the peel from Curaçao oranges is actually green.) The company that makes Curaçao says the name of the colour is actually mandarine.

Red Curaçao

Coloured red

White Curaçao

Left clear, not coloured.

Triple Sec

Triple Sec is a form of Curaçao; see separate entry on Triple Sec.