The Rocket cocktail recipe
for your table
Pour the grenadine into the bottom of a hurricane glass. Then fill the glass to the rim with crushed ice.
Stir the vodka into the orange juice and gently pour it over the ice. This creates the yellow layer in the middle.
Slowly pour the blue curaçao over the rounded side of a bar spoon on top.
Add a straw and serve it immediately. Your guest can mix it themselves.
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Send the Rocket Popsicle cocktail recipe to your own email so you have it handy when you’re ready to make it. You’ll also get a € 5 discount code when you spend € 50, for the glasses to go with it.
The story
Since the 1970s, the rocket popsicle has been a staple of Dutch summers. The rocket popsicle cocktail is just what you’d expect. At some point, a bartender came up with the idea of serving those three colors in a drink, too. There’s no official recipe. One bar uses berry gin, another uses lemonade syrup or liqueur, and you’ll also hear it called a rocket cocktail or rocket drink. The order never changes. That’s not a matter of taste, but of physics. Grenadine has the most sugar and sinks to the bottom. Blue curaçao has the highest alcohol content and stays afloat. It works just like the B52, but in a large glass.
The right glass
We serve it in a hurricane glass. It’s tall and curved, with a wide bowl that keeps the three colors nicely separate. In a straight glass, the layers sit flat on top of each other. In a hurricane glass, you can see each transition much more clearly. Go for 44 cl so there’s enough room for crushed ice. You really need that ice because it keeps the layers in place. Choose clear glass without color or facets, otherwise the effect won’t be as visible.
Royal Leerdam Cocktail Hurricane Cocktail Glass 44 cl (4 pieces)
Arcoroc Hurricane Cocktail Glass 44 cl (6 pieces)
Together € 70,90.
The right tools
For a Raketje cocktail, besides a glass, use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a citrus juicer, large ice cubes and glass straws. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Large cubes melt slowly, so your drink gets less diluted
With crushed ice, drink through a straw
Glass set (our pick 01) + 5 bar tools together € 91,70.
Variations & twists
Without vodka, you have a mocktail that’s a hit at any children’s party. It’s hard to imagine a more obvious alcohol-free cocktail. If you want to avoid alcohol completely, use strawberry syrup instead of grenadine and blue lemonade syrup instead of blue curaçao. Prefer a Raketje shot? Pour the same layers in small amounts into a shot glass, pouring extra slowly. Use white rum instead of vodka for a tiki twist. For the same colors but all blue, try the Blue Lagoon. Find even more ideas in all cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
It won’t work without crushed ice. The fine ice slows the liquid down so each layer stays in place. With regular cubes, everything runs together within a minute. Don’t have crushed ice? Put ice cubes in a tea towel and give them a few good whacks. Pour each layer over a spoon and leave the glass on the table while pouring. In your hand, it always moves around too much.
Frequently asked questions
What glass do you use for a Raketje cocktail?
In a 44 cl hurricane glass. You can find them in our hurricane glasses.
How do you keep the layers of a Raketje drink separate?
That’s because of the sugar and alcohol. Grenadine is the heaviest and sinks. Blue curaçao is the lightest and floats on top. Pour from heaviest to lightest and let the crushed ice break the fall.
Can you make it alcohol-free?
Yes, and it’s easy to do. Use blue lemonade syrup instead of vodka and blue curaçao, and do everything else the same way. The colors and layers will look exactly the same.
Why are my colors running together?
Almost always because you pour too quickly or use too little ice. Fill the glass right to the top with crushed ice. Pour each layer over the rounded side of a spoon.
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