Orange Curacao
An orange liqueur made from the dried peels of Curaçao's bitter laraha citrus, similar to triple sec but often richer.
Origin
Curacao, the same island and laraha-orange tradition behind blue curacao, but in its original, undyed amber-to-orange color.
History
Orange curacao is the original, historically accurate form of curacao liqueur, made from the dried peels of the bitter laraha orange that grows on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao, generally credited to the Amsterdam house Bols in the colonial era. Unlike blue curacao (the same liqueur simply dyed a different color for visual effect), orange curacao is often left closer to its natural amber hue or given a light orange tint, and it's the more historically authentic choice in classic recipes that predate the mid-20th-century invention of the blue version.
Flavor profile
Sweet, bittersweet orange peel flavor, similar to triple sec but often with more depth and complexity.
Tasting notes
A rounder, slightly more complex orange character than a standard triple sec, closer to what many pre-Prohibition cocktail recipes actually intended when calling simply for "curacao," before blue curacao's novelty color took over as the more visually recognizable modern default.
Substitutes
- Triple sec, for a very close, more widely available substitute.
- Grand Marnier, for a richer, brandy-based orange liqueur substitute.
- Blue curacao, understanding it's the identical flavor with a different (blue) color.
