Blue Hawaii

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (122 ratings)

Photographed in a Hurricane Squall 15oz

Ingredients:
34 oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
34 oz Ketel One Vodka
12 oz Bols Blue Curaçao
3 oz Pineapple juice
13 oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
13 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
13 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Hurricane glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry skewered with a paper parasol.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass filled with crushed ice.
  5. Garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry skewered with a paper parasol.
  6. Serve with a straw.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 3/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 4/10

Review:

Aloha!

View readers' comments

Variant:

Serve as a layered drink by first pouring blue curaçao into ice-filled glass. SHAKE other ingredients and carefully strain into ice-filled glass so it layers over blue curaçao. Some also opt to serve with a rum float.

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 1957 by Harry K. Yee at Henry Kaiser's Hawaiian Village Hotel (latterly the Hilton) in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii. The drink, created at the behest of Bols to aid sales of their blue curaçao, is named after the hit song from the 1937 Bing Crosby film, Waikiki Wedding, and not after what is generously described as a "musical-comedy" Elvis Presley 1961 film of the same name. That said, the Elvis film probably contributed to this cocktail's popularity.

Nutrition:

One serving of Blue Hawaii contains 189 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.1 standard drinks
  • 8.64% alc./vol. (8.64° proof)
  • 15.6 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
3rd August 2024 at 05:56
Great review...sums it up nicely. A perfect inclusion in a cocktail list for a long summer afternoon party with dancing to the music of Chic.
Sarah Stancliffe’s Avatar Sarah Stancliffe
24th February 2024 at 20:47
I prefer fruity cocktails and love pineapple so this gets my vote. It’s February now and I’m looking forward to drinking this on a hot summers day in the garden.
17th January 2022 at 15:11
I would scale pineapple juice down a bit but otherwise great drink
Jeff Miller’s Avatar Jeff Miller
19th December 2021 at 23:19
Pretty tasty. I used coconut rum and made it both with the vodka and without (substituting coconut rum for vodka). Both versions reminded me of drinking on the beach in St. Croix.