The 3-Ingredient Italian Cocktail That's So Pretty You'll Almost Be Sad To Drink It
Are you looking for a new favorite cocktail to add to your celebration rotation? The Angelo Azzurro, or Blue Angel, is an Italian cocktail with a breathtaking blue color and serious retro flair. It was created in 1980 in Rome by a bartender named Giovanni "Mammina" Pepè to celebrate the opening of an LGBTQ+ club named L'Angelo Azzurro. Mammina may have been inspired by the vibrant blue paint of the nascent hot spot, or he might have taken his inspiration from the crystalline waters of the Italian coastline. Either way, this is a gorgeous drink.
The Angelo Azzurro had its heyday in Italian dance clubs throughout the 1990s. It gained prominence for having an alcoholic kick like a mule, with its strong citrusy bitterness disguising great potency. It may be tenuously connected to the Blue Lagoon, a similarly electric blue cocktail with a simple ingredient list and a vintage run of popularity (although the Blue Lagoon was hot in the 1970s). In any case, everything old is new again, and it's time to roll out the Angelo Azzurro once more.
The Angelo Azzurro is ripe for a renaissance because not only does it taste great, but it is so gorgeous that it begs for Insta snaps and TikTok reels to be created in its honor. Perhaps most compellingly, it has only three ingredients and couldn't be easier to whip up in time for your next party.
This Blue Angel makes a heavenly addition to your next get-together
In its simplest form, an Angelo Azzarro is just three parts gin, 1½ parts triple sec, and ½ part blue curacao (giving it its color) shaken with ice and served in a martini glass. The traditional garnish is a lemon peel, although you should know by now that expert cocktail garnish pairings come down to anything that complements your drink and tastes good.
When choosing which gin to use, consult a list of gin brands ranked worst-to-best to have an idea of what spirits might taste good in your cocktail. Some gins are more versatile than others and play better with mixers. If you already have a brand you prefer, stick with that one. If you dislike the juniper-forward taste of gin, limoncello is an acceptable substitute.
An Angelo Azzurro is a very strong cocktail — if it's not an homage to the nightclub, some have theorized that it got its saintly name because it made you feel like you were flying. If you need to adjust the halo on your Blue Angel, consider adding some seltzer or soda water to your drink to lighten it up, cut the powerful taste, and give it some effervescence. You can blend your Angelo Azzurro with crushed ice for a slushy frozen cocktail so vibrantly turquoise that it is almost hypnotic before even the first sip.