How to Make a Blue Lagoon Cocktail (Classic 3-Ingredient Recipe)
Updated July 2026
A Blue Lagoon cocktail is three ingredients: vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade, poured over ice. That electric blue color comes entirely from the curaçao, which is an orange-flavored liqueur, so the drink tastes citrusy and sweet with a clean vodka backbone. The standard build is 1 part vodka, 1 part blue curaçao, and about 4 parts lemonade over a full glass of ice.
I started making these for summer parties because they photograph like something you paid $14 for at a rooftop bar, but they cost about a dollar and take thirty seconds. My kids ask for the mocktail version at every cookout. Here is exactly how I build it, plus the ratio tweaks and the garnish that makes it look finished.
Contents
Why make a Blue Lagoon at home?
A single Blue Lagoon at a bar runs $10 to $14. At home it costs around $1 to $1.50 a glass, and you control how strong it is. A bottle of blue curaçao is about $12 and makes 25 drinks. For the price of one round out, you can stock the whole bar.
The bigger reason: bars pour a heavy hand of curaçao to hit the color fast, and it comes out cloying. At home you can dial the sweetness back with more lemonade or a squeeze of fresh lemon and get a drink you actually want two of. If you like bright, easy cocktails, my Coco Chanel Martini works on the same idea.
What is in a Blue Lagoon cocktail?
Three things do all the work. Here is what each one brings and what you can swap.
Blue curaçao
This is the whole personality of the drink. Blue curaçao is a liqueur made from the dried peel of a bitter orange, flavored like orange and dyed blue. It is where the color and most of the sweetness come from. Any brand works. Bols and DeKuyper are the two I keep on hand and they cost about the same. There is no substitute that keeps the blue, so if you are out, you are making a different drink.
Vodka
Vodka is the backbone. It adds the alcohol without changing the flavor, which is why the citrus stays clean. Use whatever you already have. A mid-shelf vodka like Tito’s or Smirnoff is plenty, and nobody will taste the difference under the curaçao and lemonade. For a tropical spin, swap in white rum and you are close to a Blue Hawaiian.
Lemonade
Lemonade is the mixer that stretches the drink and balances the sweetness. In the US, cloudy or clear lemonade both work. If you only have lemon-lime soda like Sprite or 7Up, use that and add a squeeze of fresh lemon to sharpen it, because soda alone leans sweeter. Club soda plus a little simple syrup and lemon juice also works if you want to control the sugar yourself.
How to make a Blue Lagoon cocktail
Start to finish this takes about two minutes. No shaker needed. It is a build-in-the-glass drink.
Step 1: Fill the glass with ice
Use a tall glass, a hurricane or a highball. Fill it all the way with ice. A full glass of ice sounds like a lot, but it keeps the drink cold without watering it down fast, and it props up the garnish. Skimp on ice and the drink goes warm and flat in ten minutes.
Step 2: Pour the vodka and blue curaçao
Add 1 ounce of vodka and 1 ounce of blue curaçao straight over the ice. The color will already look vivid at this stage. If you want it stronger, this is where you add a splash more vodka, not more curaçao, so you do not push the sweetness up with it.
Step 3: Top with lemonade
Fill the rest of the glass with lemonade, roughly 4 ounces. Pour slowly so it does not fizz over. The lemonade lightens the blue to that pool-water shade the drink is named for.
Step 4: Stir and garnish
Give it one gentle stir with a bar spoon to bring everything together, then garnish. An orange slice on the rim and a maraschino cherry is the classic look. Serve right away while it is cold and the color is bright.
What is the right Blue Lagoon ratio?
The reliable ratio is 1 : 1 : 4, one part vodka to one part blue curaçao to four parts lemonade. That gives a balanced, sippable drink that is not too sweet and not too boozy. If you want it stronger, go 1.5 parts vodka. If it tastes too sweet, add more lemonade or a squeeze of fresh lemon. Below is how the ratio changes the glass.
| Ratio (vodka : curaçao : lemonade) | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 : 1 : 4 | Balanced and easy, the default |
| 1.5 : 1 : 4 | Stronger, vodka more forward |
| 1 : 1 : 5 | Lighter and less sweet, good for a crowd |
| 1 : 1.5 : 3 | Deeper blue, sweeter, more curaçao-forward |
Garnish options
The garnish is what turns it from blue liquid into a drink people photograph. A few that work:
- Orange slice and cherry: the classic. The orange nods to the curaçao flavor and the cherry adds a pop of red against the blue.
- Lemon wheel: cleaner and more tart-looking, good if you sharpened the drink with fresh lemon.
- Pineapple wedge: leans it tropical, especially if you used rum instead of vodka.
- Cocktail umbrella: not subtle, but at a pool party nobody is complaining.
Variations worth trying
Once you have the base down, it flexes in a few directions.
- Frozen Blue Lagoon: blend the vodka, curaçao, and lemonade with a cup of ice until slushy. Serve in the same tall glass. This is the version that disappears fastest in July.
- Blue Hawaiian lean: swap the vodka for white rum and use pineapple juice in place of some of the lemonade. Same color, more beach.
- Sparkling: top with lemon-lime soda instead of still lemonade for fizz, and cut the pour of curaçao slightly so it does not get too sweet.
- Non-alcoholic Blue Lagoon (mocktail): skip the vodka and use a non-alcoholic blue curaçao syrup, or blue food coloring with an orange syrup, plus lemonade. Same look, kid-friendly, and it is the one I make most.
Can you make a Blue Lagoon ahead of time?
You can batch the vodka and blue curaçao ahead, but not the whole drink. Mix equal parts vodka and blue curaçao in a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. When it is time to serve, pour 2 ounces of that mix over ice and top each glass with lemonade fresh. If you pre-mix the lemonade in, the drink goes flat and dull within an hour or two, and the ice waters it down.
For a party, set out the blue mix, a bucket of ice, and a bottle of lemonade, and let people build their own. It looks impressive and saves you from bartending all night. The same self-serve trick works for my Cabana Boy cocktail.
Blue Lagoon Cocktail Recipe Card
Blue Lagoon Cocktail
A bright blue, citrusy vodka cocktail made with just vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade. Easy, refreshing, and ready in two minutes.
Prep time: 2 minutes | Total time: 2 minutes | Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients
- 1 oz (30 ml) vodka
- 1 oz (30 ml) blue curaçao
- 4 oz (120 ml) lemonade
- Ice, enough to fill the glass
- Orange slice and a maraschino cherry, to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass all the way with ice.
- Pour in the vodka and the blue curaçao.
- Top with the lemonade and stir gently once.
- Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry. Serve cold, right away.
Notes
- For a stronger drink, add a splash more vodka, not more curaçao, so it does not get sweeter.
- Too sweet? Add more lemonade or a squeeze of fresh lemon.
- For a mocktail, skip the vodka and use a blue curaçao syrup or blue food coloring with orange syrup plus lemonade.
Nutrition (approximate, per drink): ~200 calories. Values are an estimate and vary with the lemonade and brands you use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Blue Lagoon cocktail taste like?
It tastes citrusy and sweet, like a boozy blue lemonade with a light orange note from the curaçao. The vodka adds strength without much flavor, so the drink stays bright and easy to sip. It is refreshing rather than strong-tasting, which is why it goes down fast on a hot day.
What alcohol is in a Blue Lagoon?
Two: vodka and blue curaçao. Vodka is the base spirit and blue curaçao is an orange-flavored liqueur that also supplies the blue color. Lemonade is the non-alcoholic mixer. With a standard 1-ounce pour of each, one glass works out to roughly one standard drink, though it climbs if you pour heavier.
What makes a Blue Lagoon blue?
The blue curaçao. It is a clear orange liqueur that has been dyed blue, and it is the only colored ingredient in the glass. Vodka and lemonade are both pale, so a single ounce of curaçao is enough to turn the whole drink that pool-water blue.
Can you make a Blue Lagoon without alcohol?
Yes. Replace the vodka and blue curaçao with a non-alcoholic blue curaçao syrup, or use a little blue food coloring plus an orange syrup, then top with lemonade over ice. You get the same color and citrus flavor with none of the alcohol, which makes it a good party drink for kids and non-drinkers.
What glass should I serve a Blue Lagoon in?
A tall glass shows it off best: a hurricane, highball, or collins glass. Fill it with ice, which keeps the drink cold and gives the garnish something to sit on. A tall clear glass also lets the blue color read, which is half the appeal of the drink.
About the author
Lola Covington runs Lola Covington, where she shares easy cocktails and recipes she makes at home for her family and friends. She has spent years testing drinks for summer parties and cookouts, and shares the versions that actually get requested a second time. Follow along on Instagram for more.
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