• BlueLineBae@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    5 days ago

    Did people not know this? They sit right next to each other on the shelf. I’ve found that typically when a cheap liquor is very obnoxiously colored, it’s going to be made with food dye, vs a product that’s more expensive will use specific tricks in the industry to get the color right. A good example is Empress Gin. The color comes from pea flowers and will even change color when you add acid. And even though it’s very bright in color, it’s still nowhere near as electric blue as blue curacao.

      • Tiefling IRL
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        5 days ago

        One of my local watering holes fills a chalice with empress, tonic, raspberries, and whole peppercorns. Absolutely delicious

  • Infynis@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    5 days ago

    What you really want though, is Dry Curaçao, which is not clear, but is significantly higher quality

    • Cort@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      5 days ago

      Cointreau or Grand Marnier are the higher quality orange liquors I’d substitute for blue Curaçao, since they don’t need to be sweetened like something dry

    • Tiefling IRL
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      5 days ago

      Real red velvet doesn’t use food dye. It’s just cheaper to make imitation red velvet

        • cowfodder@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          11
          ·
          5 days ago

          Tell me you’ve never had an old fashioned red velvet cake without saying that you’ve never had an old fashioned red velvet cake. The original recipes have very little cocoa powder in them, and taste mostly of vanilla and buttermilk, with a slight chocolate undertone.

        • OneOrTheOtherDontAskMe@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          5 days ago

          Yeah I’m with the other guys, having made both versions, these are not the same cake. It’s a pretty common myth though, like, frighteningly common. Did someone tell you growing up that they were the same? My mother did, but my mother was a bad cook