Cointreau
{{short description|Brand of triple sec from Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Beverage
| name = Cointreau
| type = Orange liqueur (triple sec)
| abv = 40%
| proof = 80
| manufacturer = Rémy Cointreau
| distributor =
| origin = France
| introduced = 1875
| discontinued =
| colour = Colourless
| flavour = Orange
| variants = Cointreau Noir
| related =
| image = Cointreau original v4.jpg
}}
Cointreau ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|k|w|ɒ|n|t|r|oʊ|,_|ˈ|k|w|ɑː|n|-}}, {{IPAc-en|US|k|w|ɑː|n|ˈ|t|r|oʊ|,_|k|w|æ̃|ˈ|-}},{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cointreau|title=Cointreau|work=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=11 May 2019}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20190511132125/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Cointreau "Cointreau"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Cointreau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123221045/https://www.lexico.com/definition/Cointreau |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 January 2022 |title=Cointreau |dictionary=Oxford Dictionaries UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Cointreau|access-date=11 May 2019}} {{IPA|fr|kwɛ̃tʁo|lang}}) is a brand of orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an apéritif and digestif,{{cite web|url=https://www.barnonedrinks.com/tips/dictionary/c/cointreau-343.html|title=Definition of Cointreau|website=www.barnonedrinks.com|access-date=17 December 2018}} and is a component of several well-known cocktails. It was originally called{{Cite web |date=2023-12-23 |title=Cointreau Noir: A Majestic Blend of Orange and Cognac - Cognac.com |url=https://cognac.com/cointreau-noir-side-car-bottle/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=cognac.com |language=en-US}} Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec.{{cite book |author-link=Alexis Lichine |first=Alexis |last=Lichine |title=Enciclopedia de vinos y alcoholes de todos los países |publisher=Ediciones Omega |location=Barcelona |year=1987 |page=236 |isbn=84-282-0776-3 |display-authors=etal}} 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. {{Cite web |date=2023-12-23 |title=Cointreau Noir: A Majestic Blend of Orange and Cognac - Cognac.com |url=https://cognac.com/cointreau-noir-side-car-bottle/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=cognac.com |language=en-US}} Though the term Cointreau is usually used to refer to the triple sec liqueur itself, the specific term Cointreau L'Unique may be used to distinguish it from related products, such as the aforementioned Cointreau Noir. {{cite web |url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/beer-wine-spirits/868/cointreau-liqueur |title={Cointreau Liquer}}
Production
Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Édouard-Jean Cointreau. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur Guignolet, but they also 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.remy-cointreau.com/en/group/our-history/ | date=2020-08-25 | title=Our History | publisher=Remy Cointreau website | access-date=2020-08-25}}{{cite news | last=Ramirez | first=Anthony |date=1989-11-11 |title=Remy Martin and Cointreau Plan to Merge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/11/business/remy-martin-and-cointreau-plan-to-merge.html |work=The New York Times|location=New York |access-date=2020-08-25}}
The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but public tours of the facility are offered. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.{{Cite web |title=Visiting the Cointreau Distillery |url=https://www.francetravelguide.com/visiting-the-cointreau-distillery.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.francetravelguide.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Cointreau - Drink Secrets |url=http://www.drinksecrets.com/ingredient/cointreau/i43c6 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.drinksecrets.com |language=en-US}}
Cocktails
In addition to being consumed neat (or often on ice), Cointreau is used in many popular cocktails.
The official IBA recipes for the Corpse Reviver #2 and the cosmopolitan include Cointreau.{{cite web|url=http://iba-world.com/cocktails/cosmopolitan/|title=Cosmopolitan|website=International Bartenders Association|access-date=5 July 2018}} When mixed with water, Cointreau exhibits the Ouzo effect.{{Cite web |last=Charles-Philippe |date=2021-04-30 |title=What Is Triple Sec & What Does It Taste Like? - |url=https://bespokeunit.com/spirits/triple-sec/,%20https://bespokeunit.com/spirits/triple-sec/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Bespoke Unit |language=en-US}}
Publicity
In the 1980s, Avirex, now Cockpit USA, issued an A-2 limited-edition leather flight jacket featuring Cointreau Original Margarita nose art on the back of the jacket. In early 2008, the burlesque entertainer Dita Von Teese became the new face of Cointreau's "Be Cointreauversial" advertising and marketing campaign,[http://www.beverageworld.com/index.php?view=article&id=34259 Cointreau, Dita Von Teese Unite], 17 January 2008. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707231618/http://www.beverageworld.com/index.php?view=article&id=34259 |date=7 July 2011 }} a campaign created in 2003[http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising/remax-wants-more-personality-62647 Re/Max Wants More Personality], 17 March 2003. by the New York advertising agency KraftWorks.[http://www.kraftworksnyc.com/main.php?page=clients&client_id=485317 Kraftworks NYC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720062249/http://www.kraftworksnyc.com/main.php?page=clients&client_id=485317 |date=20 July 2013 }}