Find out if Blue Curaçao contains gluten and folks on a gluten-free diet can safely enjoy this blue colored liqueur.
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Blue Curaçao is a liqueur with a signature bright blue color and an orange flavor. It is a liqueur made with bitter orange peels from the island of Curaçao.
Though the orange peels are bitter in flavor, they are very aromatic and lend a bright citrus flavor to this liqueur. There are many different colors for Curaçao, but the most popular are orange and blue.
Blue Curaçao is made by soaking bitter lahara orange peels in alcohol and water. Spices and more alcohol are added a few days later before distilling this liqueur. Blue food coloring is added to this liqueur to give it its signature color.
Read on: What is Blue Curaçao?
Read on: What does Blue Curaçao taste like?
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein that’s found in wheat and wheat-related grains. This can include wheat, barley, rye, kamut, farro, and spelt. For folks who cannot break down this protein in their diet, it’s important to know which types of alcohol are safe to consume regularly.
Some alcohol contains gluten while others don’t, which is why it’s helpful to look at each type of alcohol and brand with a close eye. Beer contains gluten and should be avoided on a gluten-free diet, but some other alcohols like whiskey, gin, scotch, and bourbon are generally okay to drink while gluten-free.
This is due to the fact that gluten gets distilled out of the final alcohol and what gluten was present in the malted barley in the beginning gets completely removed during distillation. This is helpful to know with all alcohol you might be drinking on a gluten-free diet.
As for liqueurs, this can be a little more tricky. Since there are no regulations around disclosing ingredients in alcoholic beverages, liquor producers don’t have to share what goes into their final products.
Since Blue Curaçao is a liqueur and liqueurs are the most common places that gluten can show up in alcoholic beverages, it’s important to do your research to find out it this option is safe if you’re trying to avoid gluten in your diet.
Is Blue Curaçao gluten-free?
After some research with places like Living Beyond Allergies and Bless Her Heart Yall, it seems that this blue liqueur is considered safe to enjoy among the gluten-free community.
That said, there’s not one specific place one can find out this information and the recipes can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is obvious with the blue color, flavorings, and sweetener added that this liqueur is changed after distillation.
If you’re celiac or extremely sensitive to gluten with a gluten intolerance, you may decide not to take the risk of enjoying this liqueur and opting for an alcohol option that is very clearly gluten-free like a distilled liquor.
You may also want to look for another option to substitute blue Curaçao in your recipes if you decide to stay away from this liqueur. Try one of these 7 best substitutes for orange Curaçao.
Read on: Is Blue Curaçao alcoholic?
I hope if you follow a gluten-free diet that this information has been helpful for you.
Know that with any liqueur, you can do your own research at home to find out if a brand has gluten and if you can’t find out from the manufacturer themselves, then ask around in the gluten-free community to help you get an answer from others who have navigated this already.