The Rocket cocktail recipe
for your table
Pour the grenadine into the bottom of a hurricane glass, then fill the glass completely with crushed ice.
Mix the vodka with the orange juice and carefully pour it over the ice; this forms the yellow middle layer.
Very slowly pour the blue curaçao over the rounded side of a bar spoon onto the top.
Serve immediately with a straw and let your guest mix it themselves.
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Send the recipe for the Rocket cocktail to your own email, so you’ll have it on hand when you’re ready to make it. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code for orders from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
The Rocket popsicle has been a fixture of Dutch summers since the 1970s, and the cocktail version is exactly what you’d expect: a bartender who thought you could serve those three colors too. There’s no official recipe. Every bar does it slightly differently, with berry genever, cordial syrup, or liqueurs. What always stays the same is the order, and that’s not an aesthetic choice but physics: grenadine contains the most sugar and sinks, while blue curaçao has the highest alcohol content and stays afloat. The same principle as with the B52, only larger.
The right glass
The hurricane glass is the logical choice here: tall, curved, and with a wide bowl that keeps the three colors beautifully separate. In a straight glass, the layers are stacked on top of each other; in a hurricane glass, they have room and the transitions are much clearer. Expect 44 cl, large enough for a generous amount of crushed ice, and with this cocktail that ice is not an afterthought but the reason your layers do not collapse into each other. Choose clear glass; any tint or facet will cloud the effect.
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, in addition to the glass, you 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; you can 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
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 91,70.
Variations & twists
Leave out the vodka and you have a mocktail that's a hit at any children's party. This may well be the most obvious alcohol-free cocktail there is. Replace the grenadine with strawberry syrup and the blue curaçao with blue lemonade syrup for the fully alcohol-free version. With white rum instead of vodka, it leans toward tiki. In the mood for the same colors but in blue? See the Blue Lagoon. Find more inspiration in all cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Crushed ice isn't a luxury here: fine ice slows the liquid down and keeps the layers in place. With regular ice cubes, everything mixes together within a minute. No crushed ice? Put ice cubes in a tea towel and hit them a few times. Pour each layer over a spoon and place the glass on the table while pouring; in your hand, it moves far too much.
Frequently asked questions
Which glass do you use for a Raketje cocktail?
A 44 cl hurricane glass. View our hurricane glasses.
How do the layers stay separated?
Because of the difference in sugar and alcohol content. Grenadine is the heaviest and sinks, while blue curaçao is the lightest and floats. Pour from heaviest to lightest and use crushed ice to slow the fall.
Can you make it alcohol-free?
Yes, and very simply: replace vodka and blue curaçao with blue lemonade syrup and keep the rest the same. The color and effect remain identical.
Why do my colors run into each other?
Usually because you pour too quickly or use too little ice. Fill the glass all the way to the top with crushed ice and pour each layer over the rounded side of a spoon.
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