Curaçao

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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.

There are five different-coloured variants of the liqueur called Curaçao. All taste the same, except that they vary in minor degrees of bitterness. The 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; Curaçao Orange Peel is green.) The company that makes Curaçao says the colour is actually mandarine.


Red Curaçao


Coloured red


White Curaçao


Left clear, not coloured.



Triple Sec


Curaçao was originally called Triple Sec because it was distilled in 3 steps. The liqueur that is called Triple Sec today is still distilled that way; Curaçao is only distilled once. Triple Sec today is made by Bols.

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