Did Bols Just Release a Blue Liqueur That’s Actually, Well, Good?
Blue drinks remain perma-trending on social media, but the blue liqueurs behind them are often just for show. Mindless cocktail arm candy — looks great in the photo opp, but can’t hold a conversation.
“For a long time, blue Curaçao was perceived as just blue dye for a drink, something that would create a visual effect but not bring anything fundamental in terms of flavor,” says Lukas Suchánky of Aqua Caffé in Nové Zámky, Slovakia, a town about halfway between capital city Bratislava and Budapest.
But Dutch spirits powerhouse Bols may have finally cracked the code, and the brand did it by creating a modern-minded blue Curaçao recipe tailor-made for cocktails. “Suddenly, a blue cocktail is not only photogenic, but also interesting in taste, sophisticated, and modern,” Suchánky says. “This shift in perception is important in my opinion — it shows that even classic liqueurs can have a new concept if they are approached with an emphasis on quality, ingredients, and craft.”
Bols is celebrating its 450th anniversary in 2025 and launched Bols Blue 1575 this spring to honor the occasion. This product builds on a century-long legacy of blue liqueurs, with Bols launching its iconic blue Crème de Ciel (the charmingly named cream of the sky) in 1912.
For all its signature electric blue glory, the new release goes back to the company’s roots, basing the concept on a historical recipe combining a botanical-spiced rum with distilled orange peels. “This is what happens when a company is 450 years old, you have this heritage and this history, all of these old techniques and recipes, and to commemorate that anniversary we really dove into that,” Ivar de Lange, the global education manager and master bartender at Lucas Bols, says. “We use our past as an inspiration for the future.”
How It’s Made & Why It Doesn’t Suck
Most blue Curaçao, including the standard-issue one from Bols, taste of bland booze and sharp orange. It’s distilled neutral grain spirit doused with sugar and orange and packed up in a flashy color. I had previously visited the historic Landhuis Chobolobo distillery on the island of Curaçao and observed its production processes, and my takeaway was that the category, for better or worse, was what it was: a lineup of rainbow-hued party tricks. I was skeptical that Bols was capable of unveiling a new entrant that exceeded expectations.
Color me electric blue surprised. Bols Blue 1575 showcases a creamy mouthfeel with notes of baking spices and orange peels atop a rich vanilla backbone. It stands in stark contrast to the sharp tinge of saccharine sweet orange liqueur that such products often showcase. About the only thing that didn’t change is that famed electric blue itself. “The blue color is the same,” de Lange confirms.
This new product displays legitimate richness, depth, and complexity thanks to being produced with a Jamaican rum at its core. “It’s a super-funky Jamaican rum base,” de Lange says, though noting that the product does still contain neutral grain spirit as well.
“Cardamom, grains of paradise, and vanilla are the three main botanicals,” says Monique ten Kortenaar, master distiller and distillery manager at the Lucas Bols Distillery. “It has more depth to it, it’s more rounded and full, and there are nice tropical notes as well.” There are also several forms of orange peels used, and the final result is bottled at a sturdier proof, 29.5 percent ABV versus the traditional 21 percent.
If botanicals macerated in rum doesn’t sound like a typical blue Curaçao to you, you’re certainly not alone. “The traditional doesn’t have any botanicals in it, it’s just based on the orange peels,” ten Kortenaar says. The new product, therefore, is conceptually quite different. “In the end, it’s a botanical rum,” she says.
Going Blue Behind the Bar
Bols Blue 1575 was made specifically with bartenders and cocktails in mind, with Bols reportedly testing about 100 iterations of it with bartenders around the world over a two-year period. The result is something the brand believes is capable of going toe-to-toe with any number of cocktail applications, and several bartenders I spoke with agree.
“It also works interestingly with ingredients that one might not expect — for example, with coconut water, tonic, or even with herbal and floral notes such as lavender or rosemary.”
“I think it’s a product that works really well in many rum-based cocktails, and it could also add a lot of complexity to many tiki-style drinks,” Riccardo Augustinus, the bar manager at Amsterdam’s Conservatorium Hotel, says.
He’s not the only one who sees an immediate and innate connection with the world of tropical cocktails. Thank that funky Jamaican rum base. “Tiki cocktails come to mind and Bols Blue fits into that flavor profile perfectly: pair it with tropical flavors and it’s hard to miss,” says Troy Rondon Guasque of PAAK Vinyl Bar in Nijmegen, Netherlands, a town about 90 minutes southeast of Amsterdam. “Because of its fruity and spiced flavors, Daiquiri and Mule-style drinks both also work great.”
De Lange more broadly believes that Bols Blue 1575 holds up in any manner of rum drinks. “It also works wonderfully in an Espresso Martini,” he says.
Suchánky suggests deploying the liqueur in long drinks as well. “In highballs, it benefits greatly from soda, which opens up and refreshes its aroma,” he says. “It also works interestingly with ingredients that one might not expect — for example, with coconut water, tonic, or even with herbal and floral notes such as lavender or rosemary.”
A blue Curaçao that doesn’t suck is an electric idea indeed. “Bols Blue 1575 is a very pleasant surprise for me,” Suchánky says. “I expected the classic blue Curaçao profile — sweetness, orange peel, and a slight bitterness — but the 1575 version brings a completely different level of complexity, and feels more sophisticated than most Curaçaos we know from the past. It feels less artificial, more natural and aromatic. It is a liqueur that can stand on its own — not just as a color complement.”
Long term, it may even prove to be a game changer for the entire beautiful world of blue drinks. “Most people wouldn’t associate blue Curaçao with a high-end liqueur or cocktail, and when the color stands out this much, it’s hard to expect to taste something that’s well produced and innovative,” Rondon Guasque says. “But this shows people there’s more to the product than just its color. The flavor is surprising, and over time I think this could change the stereotype and perception that people have about blue cocktails.”
The article Did Bols Just Release a Blue Liqueur That’s Actually, Well, Good? appeared first on VinePair.