Texas Roadhouse is better known for rolls, cinnamon butter and line dancing than for cocktails. Kenny’s Cooler was the exception: a bright blue lemonade drink that launched in 2016 as a collaboration with Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum and became a summer favorite.
What Texas Roadhouse Served
The launch announcement in summer 2016 is unusually specific. Kenny’s Cooler was:
- Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
- DeKuyper Peach Schnapps
- Minute Maid Lemonade
- Texas Roadhouse’s signature sweet-and-sour
- Monin Blue Curaçao
It came in a 17-oz schooner glass for $6.50 and was available at 476 restaurants at the time. The name honors Kenny Chesney, who founded Blue Chair Bay Rum.
Is it still around? A Chowhound article reports that you won’t find a drink called Kenny’s Cooler on the menu anymore: it says the drink was renamed the Island Cooler and switched to Parrot Bay rum. We couldn’t independently confirm that or the current recipe, so check your local menu. This recipe is the original 2016 version.
The Detail Most Copycats Miss
Monin makes syrups. Monin Blue Curaçao is a non-alcoholic, orange-flavored blue syrup, not the liqueur. That matters because most copycats use blue curaçao liqueur, which makes the drink a little stronger and more bitter than the original. Using the syrup gives you the same bright color with a softer, sweeter orange note, which is closer to what Texas Roadhouse poured.
If you only have blue curaçao liqueur, it works fine. Just know your version will be slightly stronger.
The Technique: Build and Stir Well
This is a built drink, made right in the glass. Fill a big glass with ice, add the rum, schnapps, curaçao and a little lemon sour, then top with lemonade.
Then stir thoroughly. Blue curaçao syrup is heavy and sinks to the bottom, so if you don’t stir, the first few sips are pale lemonade and the last is pure syrup. Stir until the color is even.
For the sweet-and-sour, a mix of fresh lemon juice and simple syrup works better than bottled mix. It brightens the lemonade without making it sweeter.
A Pitcher for the Backyard
This is one of the easiest drinks on our list to batch. For six drinks: 7½ oz (225 ml) coconut rum, 4½ oz (135 ml) peach schnapps, 3 oz (90 ml) blue curaçao syrup, 3 oz (90 ml) lemon sour and 36 oz (about 1 liter) lemonade. Stir well and stir again before each pour, since the syrup settles. Serve over ice with orange slices.
The Mocktail Version
Because the original’s blue curaçao was already a syrup, the mocktail is close to the real thing. Coconut water replaces the coconut rum and gives a light, natural coconut flavor without making it heavy. Peach nectar replaces the schnapps. Add the same syrup and lemonade, a squeeze of lemon, and you have a drink kids and adults can share at the same table.
Serving
Serve with ribs, a steak or a basket of rolls with cinnamon butter. It’s a light drink for a long, hot evening.
Quick Fixes
- Too sweet? Add more fresh lemon juice or use a tart, less-sweet lemonade.
- Not blue enough? Use clear lemonade or lemon-lime soda. Yellow lemonade turns blue curaçao green.
- Can’t taste the coconut? Raise the coconut rum to 1½ oz and cut the schnapps to ½ oz.
- Want it frozen? Blend all the ingredients with 1½ cups of ice for a blue slush. Add an extra ¼ oz syrup, since cold mutes sweetness.
Enjoy responsibly — must be 21+.
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