Blue Hawaii – Original Recipe & History

The History of the Blue Hawaii Cocktail.

Invented by Harry Yee in 1957, the Blue Hawaii is a classic Hawaiian cocktail and one of the few tiki-style cocktails from a Polynesian island. Harry Yee came up with the Blue Hawaii while working at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort in Waikiki after Bol’s approached the bartenders there and asked them to come up with a recipe that used their blue orange liqueur. After a few experiments, Harry came up with this recipe called his creation, the Blue Hawaii. Predating the iconic Elvis Presley movie by four years, it is unknown if this cocktail inspired the title for the film Blue Hawaii, but the drink came first. As a side note, I love the movie Blue Hawaii. I am a heterosexual male, but even I need to change my underwear whenever I hear Elvis sing, “Can’t help falling in love.” It should be required viewing before traveling there for vacation. The movie was initially titled “Hawaiian Beach Boy,” so perhaps while filming, the director found the local blue Hawaii cocktail’s name to be a better fit.

Recipe Resources

• 1998 Grog Log – Berry