Blue Lagoon Mocktail

Before you start

The Blue Lagoon is famous for its color: an electric blue from blue curaçao, an orange liqueur, mixed with lemonade. For the mocktail, non-alcoholic blue curaçao syrup gives the same color and orange flavor. Fresh lemon juice cuts the sweetness of the syrup and soda, so the drink tastes bright rather than like candy.

If you prefer natural color, butterfly pea flower tea makes an equally striking deep blue, though it turns purple once you add citrus. That color shift can be part of the fun: serve the lemon on the side and let guests stir it in to watch it change.

Ingredients

• 20 ml (¾ oz) non-alcoholic blue curaçao syrup
• 20 ml (¾ oz) fresh lemon juice
• 150 ml (5 oz) lemon-lime soda — chilled
• 30 ml (1 oz) soda water — chilled, optional to dry it out
• 1 lemon wheel — for garnish
• 1 maraschino cherry — optional garnish

Method

1. Fill the glass with ice. Clear, hard ice lets the color show best.
2. Add the blue curaçao syrup and the lemon juice.
3. Pour in the lemon-lime soda and soda water slowly, down the side of the glass.
4. Stir gently for a few seconds until the color is even. A touch of yellow lemon juice turns the blue slightly toward teal.
5. Garnish with the lemon wheel and a cherry, and serve with a straw.

Tips for success

• Blue curaçao syrup is very sweet. Taste after adding the soda and add 5 ml more lemon if it seems sugary.
• For a layered look, pour the soda and lemon first and float the syrup last. It sinks in blue streaks.
• Serve in a clear glass with a white straw so the color stands out.

Substitutions

Blue curaçao syrup

Use 60 ml chilled butterfly pea flower tea plus 15 ml simple syrup and a strip of orange peel. Add lemon at the table to turn it violet.

Lemon-lime soda

Use lemonade with soda water for a less sweet drink, or tonic water for a bitter, grown-up version.

Lemon juice

Lime juice tints the drink a little greener and makes it sharper.

Variations

Frozen lagoon

Blend the syrup, lemon juice and 90 ml soda with 1 cup of ice until slushy. Top with a splash of soda.

Coconut lagoon

Add 30 ml coconut water and a pineapple wedge for a tropical twist.

Troubleshooting

The color is greenish

Too much lemon juice or a yellow soda. Use clear lemon-lime soda and add the lemon in smaller amounts.

It tastes like candy

Reduce the syrup to 15 ml, increase the lemon to 25 ml, and use soda water for half of the soda.

The butterfly pea version turned purple

That is expected; acid shifts the color. Add the lemon at the last moment for the color change, or skip it for a deep blue drink.

Storage

Serve immediately. Opened blue curaçao syrup keeps at room temperature or in the refrigerator for the time on the label. Butterfly pea tea keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Safety notes

Many blue syrups contain artificial colors such as FD&C Blue No. 1. Check the label if anyone needs to avoid certain dyes.