Cuba Orange Flavored Vodka 70 cl 30%

Pour it out and you get blue. Taste it and you get orange. Cuba Orange is one of the few bottles where colour and flavour deliberately disagree, and that is exactly why it ends up in so many drinks.

Expert description

Cuba Orange is a Danish Vodka Spirit Drink from Spritfabrikken Danmark in Kolding, made with triple distilled vodka flavoured with sweet oranges and bottled at 30%.

The clear blue colour is not a mistake but the whole point. It makes it easy to build drinks that look like something without keeping blue curacao on the shelf. Mixed with clear soda the glass turns turquoise, and with orange juice it lands somewhere between green and brown.

On the palate this is ripe orange rather than orange peel. The sweetness is obvious, the acidity is held back, and the base is vodka distilled three times. The strength of 30% is why the label reads spirit drink made with vodka instead of vodka.

The house classic is called Isbjørn and consists of Cuba Orange and Sprite, while Viper uses lemon soda. The producer also points to a less obvious route: a splash in coffee, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet orange straight away, more juice than peel. Behind it sits a light candied edge and a touch of sugar.

Palate

Juicy and round. The orange fills the middle with barely any acidity, and the vodka stays below the surface the whole way through.

Finish

Short and sweet with a last brush of citrus before the sugar lets go.

Specifications

Name: Cuba Orange
Producer: Spritfabrikken Danmark
Region/Country: Kolding, Denmark
Type: Danish Vodka Spirit Drink
ABV: 30%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Triple distilled
EAN no.: 5706844501059
Serving suggestion: With clear soda over plenty of ice, or a splash in coffee topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Flavour profile

Sweet orange · Citrus · Sweet · Mixable

Did you know?

The name Cuba has nothing to do with the island. It was chosen in 1998 because it suggested beach, party, colour and salsa, and the entire range is developed and produced in Denmark.

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Frequently asked questions about Cuba Orange

Why is Cuba Orange blue when it tastes of orange?

Because the colour was chosen for mixing, not to match the flavour. The blue liquid makes colourful drinks easy without an extra liqueur, and the taste of sweet oranges is entirely unaffected by it.

What colour will my drink turn out?

That depends on what you top it with. Clear soda gives turquoise, lemon soda gives a greenish tint, and orange juice drags it towards brown. It is worth testing before the guests arrive.

How is it best served?

Ice cold in a tall glass with plenty of ice. The sweetness turns cloying at room temperature, while the chill keeps the orange fresh. Two centilitres topped with soda is the house standard measure.

Can it be used for anything other than drinks?

Yes. The producer highlights it in coffee with whipped cream and grated chocolate, where the orange behaves like a liqueur. It also works over ice cream or in a fruit salad that needs its citrus note lifted.

How does it differ from an orange liqueur?

The base. This is vodka distilled three times, flavoured with orange and bottled at 30%, while a classic orange liqueur is built on peel and is usually both sweeter and thicker. See more bottles under Vodka.

Why does the bottle say spirit drink?

Because the strength falls below what the vodka designation requires. The contents are vodka with added flavour, but once the alcohol is brought down to 30% the product has to be called a spirit drink made with vodka instead.

Where does it come from?

From Kolding, where Spritfabrikken Danmark keeps both its office and its address. The range was developed by the fifth generation of the family and has since grown past 13 variants. More names sit under Vodka brands.