Campus Cocktails: The Lavender Haze
(Paige Stein / Heights Editor)
Features, Cooking Column, Homemade On The Heights

Campus Cocktails: The Lavender Haze

By MC Claverie
September 12, 2023    Updated September 12, 2023 at 7:43 pm

Last semester while I was studying abroad in the Netherlands, I worked at an on-campus bar. 

The bar was the center of the social scene at University College Utrecht and a place where students would gather—formally and informally—for club events, casual drinks, and parties. 

This bar quickly became one of my favorite places on campus. Its chaotic decorations, lively spirit, and somewhat cult-ish staff of bartenders reminded me of The Heights office in Mac 113. 

And whether I was dancing with my closest friends on a Thursday night, sipping a cold beer with my roommates, or bonding with full-time students during my weekly shift, the bar was a place where I always felt at home. 

Each night, the bar would offer a special discounted cocktail, and for my last shift, my friend Rene and I wanted to create a Taylor Swift–themed drink. After much deliberation, debate, and workshopping, we finally came up with the perfect drink—the Lavender Haze. 

Inspired by Swift’s song “Lavender Haze” from her 2022 album Midnights, the Lavender Haze is the perfect drink to casually sip or to fuel a night of dancing with your friends. 

It’s also a twist on one of my favorite cocktails—the Cosmopolitan. Instead of using triple sec, an orange-flavored liqueur that is a typical Cosmopolitan ingredient, I used blue curaçao to craft a purple drink. Like triple sec, blue curaçao is an orange-flavored liqueur so the flavor profile of the drink remains relatively similar.

Whether you are a Swiftie looking for a fun Taylor-themed cocktail or like me, you’re missing your friends who are scattered across the globe, this cocktail is sure to be a hit and remind you of the best of times. 

(Photo Courtesy of MC Claverie)
(Photo Courtesy of MC Claverie)

DRINK: The Lavender Haze

INGREDIENTS: 

For one serving

1 ½ oz vodka (I used Tito’s)

1 oz blue curaçao

2 oz cranberry juice

½ oz lime juice 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

  1. Add the vodka, blue curaçao, cranberry juice, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. 
  2. Shake until the outside of the shaker is cold to the touch—about 5 to 10 seconds.
  3. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy. 
September 12, 2023

Searching