Cointreau

Cointreau is a liqueur made with peel from sweet oranges from Spain and/or Brazil, and peel of bitter oranges from Curaçao.

It is distilled in copper. Though it is a clear liqueur, it turns opaque when poured onto ice.

Cointreau is not as sweet as Grand Marnier.

Cointreau is 40% abv.

Cooking Tips

Drain baby carrots, turn back into pot, splash with Cointreau and chopped parsley, stir and turn into covered serving dish.

Substitutes

Orange juice concentrate or regular orange juice that has been reduced to a thicker consistency. Grand Marnier or Triple Sec. Or, half as much orange extract.

History Notes

Cointreau was invented in 1849 in Angiers, France by Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau. They had a square bottle created for them. The bottle has changed little since 1849.

Cointreau was the original orange liqueur called for in the Margarita recipe invented at Hotel Acapulco in 1948. Because Cointreau turns opaque on ice, it gave the cocktail the right amount of murkiness.