In the mood for something strong, but can’t decide on what you want? The Blue Motorcycle has a little bit of everything.
For more years than I can count, I’ve been a guitar player. It started in my childhood bedrooms… I was an Army brat, so I had multiple bedrooms growing up. I would sneak one of my dad’s electric guitars away and try to figure out some chords by playing along with AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Ramones… If it had big guitars, big drums and caused my parents to yell across the house for me to turn it down, I was all about it. But I was also a blues purist, mainly due to my love of the Stones. As an armchair archaeologist, I couldn’t help but dig into their influences.
At first, I was just playing my six-string to make a joyful and rebellious noise for only myself. Then as I got older, I started making that racket on stage with other like-minded musicians. These past eight years, I was a guitar player in a working band here in Los Angeles. We played some awesome shows, recorded in some legendary studios, got signed to a label, and rubbed shoulders with other notorious rock ‘n’ rollers. Then one day, I hung up my spurs, along with my guitars, amps and pedals… and retired.
Tonight’s cocktail, the Blue Motorcycle, made me think about all this music stuff from my life. The name alone took me right back to the day that The Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus was released. This was a show I had only heard rumors about, having never been officially unleashed on the world until decades after it happened. I popped the CD into my player—remember those?—and was transported to 1968. A time I’ve actually never known.
One of the songs performed during this concert was called “Something Better”, by Marianne Faithfull. The chorus, with its groovy drum beat and crystal clear slide guitar, sent shivers up my spine:
“Say hey, have you heard, blue whiskey’s the rage, I’ll send you a jug in the morning.”
The image of blue whiskey, sung in Faithfull’s haunting timbre, always stayed with me. And when I started working on this piece, the image of the cocktail and its name brought me right back to my younger days, sitting on the floor with my guitars and listening to music.
The Blue Motorcycle will always be my preferred name for this drink, which is also known as the AMF (Adios, Motherf***er) or the Walk Me Down. Sip one of these while listening to some Marianne Faithfull, and you’ll take a little journey on your own Blue Motorcycle. You might even want to dust off one of your guitars.
What Is The Best Alcohol To Use In A Blue Motorcycle?
A drink like this one features quite a few spirits. Vodka and gin are traditionally clear liquors, so the rum and tequila you’ll add should also be the same color. Silver rum and blanco tequila are the way to go, as aged versions will have more full-bodied notes that will clash with the other ingredients. And make sure your curaçao is blue, otherwise your Motorcycle won’t have its titular coloring.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce vodka
- 1/2 ounce white rum
- 1/2 ounce tequila
- 1/2 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce blue curaçao
- 1 ounce sour mix
- 2 ounces lemon-lime soda to top
- Lemon slice optional, for garnish
- Maraschino cherry optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the vodka, rum, tequila, gin, blue curaçao, and sour mix to the shaker.
- Shake well until chilled.
- Fill a highball or collins glass with ice. Strain the mixture into the glass. Top with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry if desired.
Nutrition
WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH ARE USED?
Fill a highball or collins glass with ice. Once your drink is poured in, garnish with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry. The yellow and red look great against the blue.
CAN YOU USE CLUB SODA INSTEAD OF LEMON-LIME?
If you’re looking to cut the sweetness and calorie count, you can top your mixture off with club soda instead of 7UP or Sprite.
Similar Drinks To The Blue Motorcycle
This deep blue riff on the Long Island Iced Tea isn’t the only cool, tall tipple on the block. If you like your cocktails to include a little bit of a lot, then Twist & Toast has some recipes you’ll want to take a look at. Try a few of these on your friends this weekend, then come back to the site to get even more drink ideas.
- Holy Water – Another blue-hued beverage, this one featuring rum, vodka and peach schnapps.
- Tokyo Tea – Neon green with a little of everything mixed in.
- LA Water – It might look like it was poured straight from the Los Angeles River, but it tastes much better.
- Texas Tea – Add bourbon and dark cola to your Tea to make it a big one.
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