 | |
| Type | Orangeliqueur (triple sec) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rémy Cointreau |
| Origin | France |
| Introduced | 1875 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Proof (US) | 80 |
| Colour | Colourless |
| Flavour | Orange |
| Variants | Cointreau Noir |
| Website | www |
Cointreau (UK:/ˈkwɒntroʊ,ˈkwɑːn-/,US:/kwɑːnˈtroʊ,kwæ̃ˈ-/,[1][2][3]French:[kwɛ̃tʁo]) is a brand of orange-flavouredtriple sec liqueur produced inSaint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as anapéritif and digestif,[4] and is a component of several well-knowncocktails. It was originally called[5]Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec.[6] Despite the orange bottle, Cointreau is colourless. Cointreau also produces Cointreau Noir, a blend of 70% Cointreau and 30% cognac from the House of Rémy Martin.[7] Though the termCointreau is usually used to refer to the triple sec liqueur itself, the specific termCointreau L'Unique may be used to distinguish it from related products, such as the aforementioned Cointreau Noir.[8]
Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, aconfectioner, and his brother Édouard-Jean Cointreau. Their first success was with the cherry liqueurGuignolet, but they also found success when they blended sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol fromsugar 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 withRémy Martin to formRémy Cointreau, now a publicly traded company.[9][10]
The production methods and recipe are afamily secret, but public tours of the facility are offered. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.[11][12]
In addition to being consumedneat (or often onice), Cointreau is used in many popularcocktails.The officialIBA recipes for theCorpse Reviver #2 and theCosmopolitan include Cointreau.[13] When mixed with water, Cointreau exhibits theOuzo effect.[14]
In the 1980s,Avirex, nowCockpit USA, issued anA-2 limited-edition leather flight jacket featuring Cointreau Original Margaritanose art on the back of the jacket. In early 2008, theburlesque entertainerDita Von Teese became the new face of Cointreau's "Be Cointreauversial" advertising and marketing campaign,[15] a campaign created in 2003[16] by the New York advertising agencyKraftWorks.[17] The product's "MargaRight"advertising campaign began in 2023 withAubrey Plaza as its spokesperson.[18]