An Arctic-like blast of chilly refreshment is in every sip of the Polar Bear cocktail.
My days were filled with paperwork, writing reports and stamping them in triplicate, the sorts of things that always piled up once you looked away for a few seconds. Now the big shots in the upstairs office want to give me a promotion, a big office of my own, too. One so high up, the view overlooks the clouds below. The rat race just got longer, and my nights and weekends? Gone. Every day that I leave this towering monument with the echoes of “sign here” and “initial there” ringing in my noggin, I have to ask myself what my job even is.
One Friday evening, I was asked—no, told—that I was staying late and coming in the next few days. Having worked every weekend for the past five years because of some emergency nobody seems to recall, I was really looking forward to some free time, even if it would most assuredly disappear too fast. I would’ve pulled my hair out in frustration, disappointment and yes, anger if this work hadn’t already made me bald. So, throwing my wig down in disgust was the best I could do.
I walked out of that nightmare and immediately signed up to work in Antarctica, because life’s too short and I’ve seen too many movies. A few days later, after some very bumpy plane rides, I had arrived at a remote South Pole research station, my new home. And my new occupation? Running their social media! I thought for my first official post on “The Gram” I’d share one of my favorite icy cold cocktails, the Polar Bear. Seemed apt.
Grabbing my glass, full of the bright azure mixture of vodka, blue curaçao and lemon-lime soda, I went outside to capture the drink in a glorious panoramic shot, surrounded by the otherworldly wilderness of the bottom of the planet.
Still shocked by the freezing temperatures, I neglected to notice the gaggle of penguins stealing my posed beverage as I fumbled with my phone’s camera.
Darn these mittens.
What is the best alcohol to use in a Polar Bear cocktail?
A crisp and clean flavorless vodka is your best bet in this sweet and citrus-tinged drink. I enjoy the smooth, peppery bite from a wheat-distilled spirit, but the creamy mouthfeel of a potato vodka, or the sweetness from a corn-produced variety, will all meld nicely with the bitter orange from the blue curaçao and sweet tang of the lemon-lime soda.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce blue curaçao
- A pinch of edible glitter
- A splash of lemon-lime soda
- A splash of lemon juice
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, add vodka, blue curaçao, and edible glitter.
- Shake well until the shaker feels very cold and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with ice.
- Top with a splash of lemon-lime soda and add a splash of lemon juice. Stir gently, then serve immediately.
Nutrition
What glassware is used?
Fill a rocks glass with ice and stir your mixture gently once you’ve added it all together.
Can you top with club soda instead?
Yes. If you’re looking for a more subtle taste or just trying to cut back on the calories, club soda is a great alternative to top this cocktail with.
Similar cocktails to the Polar Bear
When a fresh libation is put in front of you, the first thing you notice, of course, is how it looks. The enticing blue hue of the Polar Bear is definitely eye-catching, and may even prompt folks around you to ask what you’re drinking. It’s not the only sapphire-looking libation out there, as these recipes below will prove. And these are only a handful of them, too.
- Aqua Velva – Add some gin to today’s recipe’s ingredients and you have this blue beverage.
- Sex in the Driveway – This risqué drink packs quite the wallop.
- Blue Hawaii – The Polynesian-inspired classic will take you away to an island paradise.
- Electric Lemonade – This potent elixir is sharp, bubbly and refreshing.
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