You may see plenty of orange and black everywhere in October, but for a lot of bartenders, blue has been the color of the month — more specifically, the brilliant hue of the iconic Blue Hawaii cocktail.

Bartenders across the state are raising a glass to Harry Yee, iconic barman of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and creator of the cocktail, on the occasion of his 100th birthday in October.

Yee may have simply been following his passion at the time, not knowing he was creating an cocktail standard, and that he himself would become legendary in the eyes of many aspiring bartenders.

During the 1950s no cocktails to speak of were blue, and no umbrellas were used as garnishes. But Yee thought a paper umbrella would be a fun little addition to his azure libation. Such touches made all the difference, and now you almost can’t glance at a blue cocktail without thinking it must be a Blue Hawaii.

In late September the Hilton hosted numerous festivities to honor Harry, as well as keep the creative streak alive at the hotel. A contest challenged present-day mixologists to come up with a modern-day rendition of the Blue Hawaii, with none other than Yee himself judging the final round.

Other creative versions of the cocktail are offered at the various Hilton restaurants and bars.

ORIGINAL BLUE HAWAII

The original 1950s-era recipe for this cocktail has been changed more than you can imagine, with the addition of coconut rum, no vodka, all vodka, passion-fruit juice, you name it.

Just to set the record straight, here is the original recipe, from the archives of the hotel.

• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 ounce sweet and sour (see note)
• 1 ounce vodka (like Grey Goose or Stolich­naya)
• 1 ounce light-bodied Puerto Rican rum (like Bacardi)
• 1/2 ounce blue curacao liqueur

Combine juices and liquors in a mixing glass with ice. Shake mixture well and strain over ice into a tall hurricane glass.

>> Garnish: Pineapple wedge, paper umbrella, orchid

>> Note: Old-school sweet and sour was not a commercial mix filled with preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup. It was just a mix of lemon juice and simple syrup (1 or 2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water).

BLUE HAWA-YEE

The Hilton wanted a slightly different, modern version of the cocktail that could be served throughout October at the Tapa Bar and Tropics lounges. The choice was the Blue Hawa-Yee, cleverly named by Nicholas Kabetso, assistant food and beverage director.

Mint adds a refreshing lift to the drink, and coconut water hydrates and stretches it. The coconut is highlighted further by D’aristi Kalani Coconut liqueur, which sounds like it could be a local product, but is made in the Yucatan.

Macerated coconut meat gives this liqueur a pleasant real coconut flavor; it isn’t your typical “sun-tanny” style of coconut liqueur.

Adding curacao to the bottom of the glass creates a beautiful color contrast, and the toasted coconut sugar binds it all together.

• 1/2 ounce blue curacao drizzle
• 8-10 mint leaves
• 1-1/2 ounces coconut water
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce D’Aristi Kalani Coconut liqueur
• 3/4 ounce Grey Goose vodka
• 3/4 ounce Bacardi Superior Silver rum

Pour blue curacao into highball glass; add ice.

In separate mixing glass, press mint into coconut water. Add lemon juice, liquors and ice. Shake and strain into highball glass.

>> Garnish: Toasted coconut sugar (see note) on rim; lemon wheel and paper umbrella.

>> To make toasted coconut sugar: Blend equal parts turbinado cane sugar and toasted coconut flakes until fine enough to stick to rim.

SEA BLUES

This more elevated version of the cocktail was created specifically for Bali Steak & Seafood as more of a “mixology-centric” version of the cocktail.

The drink is very close to the original, but morphs as a large piece of coconut ice melts into it.

• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce blue curacao
• 3/4 ounce Grey Goose vodka
• 3/4 ounce Bacardi Maestro Silver rum

Combine juices and liquors in mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain over large piece coconut ice (see note).

>> Garnish: Toasted coconut sugar on rim (see Blue Hawaii-Yee) and thin pineapple wedges on bar pick, fanned out

>> To make coconut ice: Freeze 1 part coconut cream (like Calahua) and 4 parts coconut water in a large ice mold

ELECTRIC BLUE HAWAII SLIDE

I was a preliminary judge at the Hilton’s Blue Hawaii contest. William Hee of Michael Mina’s Stripsteak Waikiki took the gold in the final round judged by Harry Yee.

Hee offered a whimsical take on the drink, bringing his own “carbonation tank” with him to the contest. He first built the cocktail in a mixing glass and shook it with ice to get it really cold. Then he funneled the drink into a large plastic soda container, twisted on a contraption hooked up to a carbon dioxide tank and charged the entire cocktail, leaving us with a bright, fizzy, balanced and super-refreshing version.

Hee said he didn’t want to simply add soda water; that would dilute other flavors that he wanted to stay crisp and dominant. The carbonation did the trick, and the end product is absolutely delicious.

A soda siphon will help you recreate Hee’s effect. Find one at kitchen supply stores such as Williams Sonoma or online.

• 3 ounces pineapple gomme jerk syrup (see note)
• 3 ounces lemon juice
• 3 ounces blue curacao liqueur
• 2 ounces velvet falernum liqueur (like John Taylor’s)
• 4 ounces Grey Goose vodka
• 4 ounces Bacardi Superior Silver rum

Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain into soda siphon. Charge with CO2.

>> Garnish: Orchid and violets

>> To make pineapple syrup: Crush pineapple chunks, cinnamon, clove and anise into simple syrup.

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.