Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau first established their distillery in 1849. Although their first success was with a wild cherry liqueur called Guignolet (still available in France); they are more famous for the production of their sweet orange liqueur, Cointreau which was first distilled by Edouard-Jean’s son Edouard. The first bottles of Cointreau were sold in 1875, and by the early 1900′s, sales had reached 800,000 bottles per year. The brand is now owned by Rémy Martin, with annual estimated sales of 13 million bottles, world-wide.
According to the Cointreau website, this orange liqueur is produced according to a secret recipe which includes sun-dried orange peels, alcohol, sugar and water. It is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.
You may click on the following excerpt to read my review of this iconic orange liqueur.
“… The nose is very nice with a clear orange notes radiating from the glass into the breezes. I catch wiffs of both fresh-cut Valencia oranges, and what smells to me like the peel of both Mandarin and Curacao oranges. I also note a distinct impression of lemon drop candies wandering through those clear orange notes …”
A few years ago, I designed a bar drink for Old Parr Superior Whisky, which uses Cointreau in conjunction with lime juice and Orange and Mango Soda. The cocktail called, the Scottish Tumbler, has been included at the end of the review for your enjoyment!
Cheers Everyone, and please remember to enjoy your cocktails in a responsible manner!
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