Angelo Azzurro
Midnight blue, disco soul.
Gin, triple sec and blue curaçao shaken and served up: a strong, citrusy drink of vivid blue. An icon of Italian nightclubs in the 1980s and 1990s.
- After dinner
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Strong
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
40 ml
-
Triple sec
20 ml
-
Blue curaçao
10 ml
-
Lemon juice (optional)
10 ml
Garnish
- Lemon twist
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Fill a shaker with ice.
- Pour the gin.
- Pour the triple sec.
- Pour the blue curaçao.
- Add the lemon juice, if using.
- Shake hard.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
According to the creator's own account, reported by Punch and Difford's Guide, the Angelo Azzurro was created in 1980 in Rome by Naples-born bartender Giovanni Pepè, known as "Mammina", and was named after the L'Angelo Azzurro club in Trastevere, itself inspired by the 1930 Marlene Dietrich film. No period documents confirm this, however, and one recollection mentions "Angeli Azzurri" served on Sitmar cruise ships as early as the 1970s. Spread by word of mouth, the drink peaked in the 1990s in nightclubs across Italy, also as a long drink with tonic water. Recipes vary widely: some add lemon juice, while more recent ones add a white bitter.
Sources (4)
- Punch — Italy had its own Cosmo: the Angelo Azzurro (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Difford's Guide — Angelo Azzurro (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Dissapore — Angelo azzurro, la ricetta (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Punch — Angelo Azzurro recipe (Nick Palmeri) (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Strong
- 4 out of 5
- Sweet
- 3 out of 5
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5