Michele Stueven
The color blue is said to represent both sky and sea and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration and sensitivity. Blue also personifies hints of trust, loyalty, sincerity, confidence and wisdom. And when it comes to cocktails, there has been a wave of moody blues throughout the L.A. bar scene recently. Here are some of our favorite azure libations to calm the senses.
“I think the draw of vibrant, blue cocktails is that they are fun and reminiscent of being beachside on a tropical vacation,” Noble 33’s Beverage Director Carla Lorenzo tells L.A. Weekly on the draw of blue-hued cocktails and Casa Madera’s approach to the Quintana Roo, made with Vida Mezcal, agave, lime and blue spirulina.
Quintana Roo (Courtesy Casa Madera)
“More often than not, the ingredients that make cocktails blue are full of artificial ingredients and dyes,” says Lorenzo. “For the Quintana Roo at Casa Madera, I wanted to get that beautiful color with a quality ingredient. Blue spirulina fits that bill but also adds earthiness to the cocktail and rounds it out.”
Legend has it that the Blue Agave Margarita originated back in the 1970s at El Torito, which you will still find on the menu. Made with blue Curaçao, a liqueur flavored with dried peel of the bitter orange laraha grown on the Dutch island Curaçao, El Cholo also serves up a tall frothy glass.
Original Blue Agave Margarita at El Torito (Michele Stueven)
“The Main Street” at The Victorian Santa Monica is an icy combination of Hendrick’s Gin, cointreau, blue Curacao, lemon juice, fresh mint and cucumber. The Anna May Bar at Crustacean Beverly Hills serves the “Midnight Caller,” which is Song Cai Vietnamese Gin, sake, butterfly tea and lavender bitters. And more for gin lovers — if you can get into the Spring Place in Beverly Hills — the “Chargers LUX Lemonade” is a mix of Hendrick’s Gin, blue Curacao, peach schnapps and lime.
For vodka and rum lovers, Belles at the Beach and the Formosa Cafe both make a smooth Blue Hawaiian with cream of coconut and pineapple juice — just specify which spirit you want for the base. And the SHOREbar has the “Catalina Island” made with gin, vodka, rum, blue Curacao, lillet blanc and lemon, served long with elderflower.
In the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, the new The Delphi Hotel in the reimagined space in the former Standard Hotel features the fizzy T-Spritz — Lagoon Bay Aperitif, LaMarca prosecco, jasmine tea concentrate and rhubarb bitters in the The Delphi Lounge & Coffee | Tea Bar.
Check out the photo gallery for 13 lucky ways to chase away the blues.
Midnight Caller (Courtesy The Anna May Bar at Crustacean Beverly Hills)
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