Liqueurs

Orange Curaçao

Orange curaçao is a liqueur flavoured with the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter orange grown on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Our drinks take a dry curaçao at 40% ABV in small measures, where it seasons a rum or brandy drink with bitter orange more than it sweetens it. The Mai Tai, the El Presidente and the Pegu Club all call for it.

Quick Facts

ABV40% ABVBottlings run about 25 to 40%.

Legal categoryLiqueur

OriginCaribbean (historical), France (modern production)

Flavour Strengthlight medium

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, a year or more kept sealed and out of the light; the fruit and aromatics fade first.

Storage

Store in a cool, dark place. Refrigeration is optional but recommended after opening for long-term freshness. Reseal tightly to preserve aromatics.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes vary by brand: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Orange Curaçao

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Bitter orangeCitrus peelLight spice

Tasting Notes

Dry orange aroma with bitter citrus peel, subtle sweetness, and gentle spice. More structured and less sweet than most Triple Secs.

The orange is a bitter fruit from one island

Curaçao the liqueur is named after Curaçao the island. Spanish settlers planted Seville oranges there in 1527; on the island the trees gave a fruit too bitter to eat, the laraha, whose peel is strongly aromatic. Dried and steeped in spirit, that peel is the flavour of the liqueur. Senior & Co, on the island, has made curaçao from it since 1896.

Most curaçao sold today is made elsewhere, from bitter orange peel more generally. What matters in a drink is whether the bottle is dry or sweet.

Dry curaçao is the style our recipes assume

Every line in our recipes takes it at about 40% ABV. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, made with the historian David Wondrich to a 19th-century style, is orange peel in grape spirit, distilled and combined with cognac. A sweet curaçao or a triple sec will stand in, at a cost in weight or sugar.

Dry curaçao, sweet curaçao and triple sec at 15ml

Strength

Dry orange curaçao: About 40%
Sweet orange curaçao: Often 25 to 30%
Triple sec: About 15 to 40%; Cointreau 40%

Colour

Dry orange curaçao: Amber
Sweet orange curaçao: Amber or orange
Triple sec: Clear

Taste

Dry orange curaçao: Bitter peel, some spice
Sweet orange curaçao: Sweet orange
Triple sec: Bright, clean orange

At 15ml in a rum drink

Dry orange curaçao: Seasons with bitter orange
Sweet orange curaçao: Adds noticeable sugar
Triple sec: Adds sugar and a lighter orange

	Dry orange curaçao	Sweet orange curaçao	Triple sec
Strength	About 40%	Often 25 to 30%	About 15 to 40%; Cointreau 40%
Colour	Amber	Amber or orange	Clear
Taste	Bitter peel, some spice	Sweet orange	Bright, clean orange
At 15ml in a rum drink	Seasons with bitter orange	Adds noticeable sugar	Adds sugar and a lighter orange

It seasons rum, brandy and whiskey drinks

In the Mai Tai it is 15ml against 60ml of rum, lime and orgeat. In the El Presidente 10ml sits with white rum, dry vermouth and grenadine, and in the Brandy Crusta a bar spoon is enough. The Pegu Club goes further, at 22.5ml with gin and lime, where it is the drink's only sweetener.

The Tia Mia, the Knickerbocker and the Seelbach use it the same way: a small pour that adds bitter orange and body without making the drink taste of sugar.

Using it

Using Orange Curaçao

Usage

From a bar spoon to 22.5ml in our recipes: one spoon in the Brandy Crusta, 10ml in the El Presidente, 15ml in the Mai Tai and the Seelbach, 22.5ml in the Pegu Club. Under 15ml it seasons; at 22.5ml in the Pegu Club it is the only sweetener.

Pro Tip

Taste a new bottle neat from a spoon before it goes into a Mai Tai. If the finish is bitter orange, pour it as written; if it is mostly sugar, cut the orgeat or syrup by 2.5ml to keep the drink dry.

Top Tips

Look for "dry" on the label. Our recipes assume a dry curaçao at about 40%; a sweet one at 25% needs a smaller pour.
Measure the small pours with a 5ml spoon. At a bar spoon, an extra few millilitres is a large share of the drink's orange.
Triple sec is the nearest swap. It is brighter and usually sweeter, so pour a few millilitres less.
Blue curaçao tastes much the same but will colour the drink. Keep it for drinks that want the colour.

Possible Substitutions

Triple Sec: Sweeter and less bitter

Production Method

Produced by macerating dried bitter orange peels in spirit, then distilling and blending with sugar and, in some cases, aged brandy or Cognac.

History & Context

Spanish settlers brought the Seville orange to Curaçao in 1527. On the island it became the laraha, a fruit too bitter to eat with an aromatic peel, and the liqueur is named for the island. Senior & Co has sold curaçao there since 1896 and is the one producer that has always made it from laraha peel.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is orange curaçao?

A liqueur made from the dried peel of the laraha, a bitter orange grown on Curaçao in the Caribbean. Most are amber, some are clear, and strengths run from about 25 to 40% ABV. Dry styles carry bitter orange and some spice, and suit rum and brandy drinks.

Is orange curaçao the same as triple sec?

Close relations, not the same bottle. Triple sec is clear, built on neutral spirit, and usually brighter and sweeter. A dry curaçao is rounder, with more bitter peel, and some are made partly on brandy. Either will make a Margarita or a Mai Tai, but the drink changes weight with the swap.

What is dry curaçao?

A curaçao made with less sugar than the sweet styles. One widely used bottle, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, was developed with the historian David Wondrich to a 19th-century style: orange peel infused in grape spirit and distilled, then combined with cognac. It is 40% ABV, the figure our drinks assume.

Which orange liqueur goes in a Mai Tai?

Orange curaçao, 15ml in our recipe beside two rums, lime, orgeat and a little syrup. A dry one at about 40% gives the rum a bitter-orange edge. Triple sec works but pushes the drink sweeter, and blue curaçao turns it an odd colour.

Can I use blue curaçao instead of orange curaçao?

For flavour, mostly yes: blue curaçao is the same kind of liqueur, dyed. Most blue bottles sit between 20 and 25%, and are sweeter than a dry orange curaçao, and it will turn a rum or brandy drink green or murky. Use it only when the colour does not matter.

How strong is orange curaçao?

Usually between 25 and 40% ABV. The dry styles in our recipes sit at about 40%, which is where our drinks' unit counts start. Sweeter bottlings are often nearer 25%, so a measure of one brings more sugar and less alcohol.

Does orange curaçao need to be refrigerated after opening?

No. A cupboard at room temperature suits it for years. Store it closed and in the dark; the peel aroma fades slowly once opened, so a bottle that is several years old will season a drink less than a fresh one.

Make something

Made with Orange Curaçao

Featured In These Cocktails

El Presidente Mai Tai Tia Mia Knickerbocker Seelbach Pegu Club

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Añejo Highball Brandy Crusta Gin Cocktail

Often Used With

Updated 10 October 2026

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