Cointreau
 |
|
| Type | Triple sec |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rémy Cointreau |
| Country of origin | Angers, France |
| Introduced | 1849 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Proof (US) | 80 (US) 70 (UK) |
| Colour | Colourless |
| Flavour | Orange |
Cointreau (pronounced: [kwɛ̃.tʁo]) is a brand of triple sec (an orange-flavoured liqueur) produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is drunk as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called "Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec".
Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur guignolet, but they found success when they blended sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875. An estimated 13 million bottles are sold each year, in more than 150 countries. Ninety percent of production is exported. Cointreau & Cie SA was family-owned until 1990, when it merged with Rémy Martin to form Rémy Cointreau, now a publicly traded company.
The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but tours of the facility are open to the public. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.
Cointreau sources its bitter oranges from all over the world, usually Spain, Brazil, Haiti and Macedonia.
In addition to being consumed neat (or often on ice), Cointreau is used in many popular cocktails. Several recipes claiming to be the original margarita include Cointreau, as does the IBA-approved recipe for the cosmopolitan.
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Wikipedia