Honolulu, United States · 1957

Blue Hawaiian

Also known as Blue Hawaii, Hawaiian Blue

A bright blue, creamy tropical drink that tastes like coconut and pineapple with a rum kick.

coconutpineappleblue curaçaotropicalcreamysweetrumorangeicy

ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip is sweet coconut and sharp pineapple, with the rum coming through right behind. The middle is thick and fruity, almost like a melted piña colada popsicle. It finishes sweet with a lingering tropical flavor and barely any bite.

Who will like it

This is for people who like sweet, fruity, and creamy tropical drinks and don't mind a bright, candy-like color.

When to drink

Serve this at a summer pool party or when you want a vacation vibe in a glass.

Ordering tip

Ask for it blended if you want a slushy texture, or on the rocks if you want it richer and more concentrated.

Ice: CubedTemp: ColdCost: $3–$6Glass: HurricaneBatch-friendlyHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This drink is a sugar bomb in the best way, hitting you with thick coconut and bright pineapple right away. The blue curaçao adds a faint orange note but mostly just turns the whole thing electric blue. There's barely any bite from the rum, so it drinks very easy. The texture is rich and velvety from the cream of coconut, making it feel more like a tropical milkshake than a cocktail. It's not a complex sipper—it's a fun, sweet, and frosty drink for when you want something cold and fruity.

Finish: The finish is short and sweet, leaving a coating of coconut and a faint orange-candy flavor on the tongue.

Primary tastes

sweetfruitycreamy

Secondary

sourfloral

Aroma

pineapplecoconutorange peel

Sweetnessvery sweet
The cream of coconut and blue curaçao both pack a lot of sugar, making this a dessert-like drink.
Sournessmildly sour
The pineapple juice brings a little tartness, but it gets buried under the heavy sweetness.
Strengthmoderate strength
The rum is there, but the strong fruit and coconut flavors mask most of the alcohol punch.
Refreshingfairly refreshing
The cold, fruity, and icy qualities make it refreshing on a hot day, though the creaminess weighs it down a bit.
Creaminessquite creamy
The cream of coconut gives the drink a thick, rich mouthfeel that coats the tongue.
Complexitystraightforward
What you see is what you get: sweet coconut and pineapple hit you immediately and stay there.

Recipe

Make it at home

Shaken · Hurricane · equal parts on White Rum. A clean, unaged rum works best here

Before you start

Open your cream of coconut and give it a good stir or shake, because it usually separates into a thick paste and liquid in the can. Get your ice ready and slice a pineapple wedge if you're using fresh garnish.

Ingredients

White RumBase Spirit45ml
Blue CuraçaoLiqueurProvides the blue color and a sweet orange flavor30ml
Cream of CoconutSyrupUse a liquid cream of coconut like Coco López, not coconut cream30ml
Pineapple JuiceJuiceFresh squeezed gives the best tartness60ml

Garnish: Pineapple wedge, Maraschino cherry, Cocktail umbrella

Tools

Cocktail shaker · Shaking
To shake and chill the drink while mixing the thick cream of coconut
At home: A large mason jar with a tight lid
Jigger · Measuring
To measure the rum, blue curaçao, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice
At home: A measuring shot glass or tablespoon
Hawthorne strainer · Straining
To hold back the ice while pouring the drink into the glass
At home: A slotted spoon or fine mesh sieve
Hurricane glass · optional · Serving
To serve the drink in a large, curved tropical glass that shows off the blue color
At home: A large wine glass or pint glass
Bar spoon · optional · Mixing
To stir the cream of coconut before measuring if it has separated in the can
At home: A regular spoon or butter knife

Steps

1
Take your shaker and add 45ml white rum, 30ml blue curaçao, 30ml cream of coconut, and 60ml pineapple juice. Make sure the cream of coconut goes in last so you can use the rum and juice to help rinse the sticky residue out of your jigger.
!Using coconut cream instead of cream of coconut will make the drink taste flat and lack the necessary sweetness.
2
Fill the shaker about three-quarters full with ice. Use regular ice cubes, not crushed, so it chills the drink without watering it down too fast.
!Using too little ice makes the drink watery because the ice melts before the drink gets cold.
3
Put the top on the shaker and shake it hard for about 10 to 12 seconds. The cream of coconut is thick, so shake longer and harder than you would for a normal sour to make sure everything mixes completely. You'll know you're done when the outside of the metal shaker feels icy cold and frosty.
~12s
!Shaking too gently leaves chunks of coconut cream floating in the drink.
4
Take the lid off the shaker and fit a Hawthorne strainer over the opening. Pour the drink through the strainer into a hurricane glass or large wine glass filled with fresh ice. The liquid should be a solid, bright blue.
!Pouring too fast can cause the strainer to let small ice chips slip into the glass.
5
Stick a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry on a cocktail pick and rest it across the rim of the glass. Add a cocktail umbrella if you have one.
!Putting the garnish inside the drink takes up ice space and gets in the way of drinking.

Serve

Serve it right away while it's still very cold. The crushed or cubed ice in the glass will keep it chilled, but the cream of coconut will start to separate if it sits out too long, so drink it while it's freshly mixed.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for White Rum

White RumLightly Aged Rum
Match
Common availability
White Rum → Lightly Aged Rum: Adds a faint vanilla and oak note that makes the drink slightly richer and less crisp.
White RumVodka
Match
Common availability
White Rum → Vodka: Removes the subtle sugarcane flavor entirely, leaving just the coconut and pineapple.

Swap options for Cream of Coconut

Cream of CoconutCoconut Milk
Match
Common availability
Cream of Coconut → Coconut Milk: Makes the drink much less sweet and slightly thinner, but keeps the coconut flavor.
Cream of CoconutCoconut Syrup
Match
Specialty availability
Cream of Coconut → Coconut Syrup: Gives the coconut flavor and sweetness but loses the thick, creamy texture entirely.

Swap options for Blue Curaçao

Blue CuraçaoTriple Sec plus Blue Food Coloring
Match
Common availability
Blue Curaçao → Triple Sec plus Blue Food Coloring: Tastes nearly identical in orange flavor, but you have to add the coloring separately to get the blue look.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Blue Hawaii

The Blue Hawaii uses sour mix instead of cream of coconut, making it lighter and more tart.

Match

The Blue Hawaii drinks lighter and sharper, while the Blue Hawaiian is heavier and creamier on the palate.

In common: Tropical, Blue color, Rum and pineapple base, Sweet and fruity

Ingredients

Both share

White Rum, Blue Curaçao, Pineapple Juice

Only in Blue Hawaiian

Cream of Coconut

Only in Blue Hawaii

Sour Mix

Swapping cream of coconut for sour mix takes the drink from rich and creamy to crisp and tart.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Sweet orange from the curaçao, Pineapple tartness, Rum backbone

How Blue Hawaii differs

Thinner mouthfeel, Sharper acidity, Less dessert-like

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Piña Colada

The Piña Colada uses no blue curaçao, so it lacks the orange flavor and the bright blue color.

Match

A Piña Colada tastes like a Blue Hawaiian without the sweet orange edge, offering a more straightforward coconut and pineapple experience.

In common: Creamy tropical, Rum base, Coconut and pineapple flavors

Ingredients

Both share

White Rum, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple Juice

Only in Blue Hawaiian

Blue Curaçao

The only difference is the addition of blue curaçao, which adds orange flavor and changes the color.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Rich coconut body, Sweet pineapple, Clean rum finish

How Piña Colada differs

No orange note, White instead of blue, Slightly more focused coconut-pineapple flavor

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Mai Tai

A Mai Tai uses lime and orgeat instead of cream of coconut and pineapple juice, making it nutty and tart rather than creamy and sweet.

Match

The Mai Tai is a drier, more complex sip with a nutty almond note, while the Blue Hawaiian is a sweeter, thicker, fruit-forward drink.

In common: Tropical, Rum-based, Fruity

Ingredients

Both share

White Rum, Orange Liqueur

Only in Blue Hawaiian

Cream of Coconut, Pineapple Juice, Blue Curaçao

Only in Mai Tai

Lime Juice, Orgeat Syrup, Dark Rum

The Mai Tai relies on almond syrup and lime for its flavor, while the Blue Hawaiian leans on coconut and pineapple.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Rum-driven, Sweet orange notes

How Mai Tai differs

Nutty instead of creamy, Tart lime instead of sweet pineapple, More complex and spirit-forward

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

Harry Yee, the head bartender at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, created the Blue Hawaiian in 1957. He was asked by Bols to invent a drink using their new blue curaçao liqueur, and this creamy, blended tropical cocktail was the result.

Creator: Harry Yee
Era: 1950s
Confidence

The original Harry Yee recipe is widely accepted, but some modern variations blend the drink instead of shaking it.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Shake harder than you think to break up the thick cream of coconut.
Stir the can of cream of coconut well before measuring or it will clump.
Use a blended method with crushed ice if you want a slushy texture.
Fresh pineapple juice makes a huge difference over the canned stuff.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't use coconut cream, it lacks the sugar and will taste flat.
Don't skip the shaking step or the drink will separate and look oily.
Don't let it sit too long or the ice will water down the flavor.