Blue Margarita

Quite simply, blue curaçao has its color because at some point in its origin—almost certainly by the early 1900s—makers decided to add color to it. The artificial color does not affect its taste; in fact, curaçao comes in other colors like orange, red, and green.

The name blue curaçao is also used with nonalcoholic syrups. Monin and Finest Call are two syrup brands that produce it; Monin is the top choice of the pair. These are not liqueurs but blue-colored, orange-flavored syrups often found in the mixer section at the liquor store. They're useful for creating blue mocktails and for those times when you want to cut some of the alcohol out of your cocktails.

Yes, eventually, but it'll last months or even years if stored properly. You want to store all liqueurs in a cool, dark place—refrigeration is not necessary, but the back of a cabinet is ideal. Keep in mind that liqueurs that have higher sugar content will tend to degrade more quickly, and blue curaçao nonalcoholic syrup will have a shorter shelf life than the liqueur.

There is no legal differentiation between blue curaçao and triple sec, and Cointreau is just one brand of triple sec. All are orange liqueurs. Curaçao can come in a variety of colors, of which blue is one. Triple sec is traditionally clear. While curaçao is said to originate from the Dutch Caribbean island of the same name, triple sec has its origins in France. (Triple sec literally translates to "triple dry," and it is indeed drier, or less sweet, than curaçao.) Curaçao is traditionally made from one very specific type of bitter orange, the laraha orange, which grows on the island of Curaçao; however, there is no legal requirement that this needs to be the case for a product to be called curaçao.