Cointreau
The French orange liqueur found in the Margarita, Cosmopolitan, and Sidecar. Everything about the taste, how it differs from other triple secs, the types, and the right glass.
The orange liqueur behind the great cocktails
Cointreau is a triple sec: a clear, dry orange liqueur. It has been made since 1875 in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou near Angers, following Édouard Cointreau's recipe. Its base is a distillate of the peels of sweet and bitter oranges, supplemented with sugar and water to reach 40% alcohol.
Unlike many other orange liqueurs, Cointreau is colorless and not syrupy sweet, allowing it to bring balance to cocktails rather than sugar. That is why it features in the original recipes for the Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, and White Lady. The square brown bottle with the red ribbon has remained the same for over a century.
In brief
What types of Cointreau are there?
Cointreau
The original: dry, clear, and full of orange peel. The triple sec bartenders use as standard.
Cointreau Noir
Cointreau blended with Rémy Martin cognac. Warmer and deeper: orange, vanilla, and nuts.
Cointreau Spicy
Orange with the warmth of jalapeño and chili. Made for a Spicy Margarita with no extra ingredients.
Cointreau 35 cl
The same liqueur in a smaller bottle. Enough for a generous evening of Margaritas.
Cointreau miniature
A mini bottle for exactly two cocktails. Also great as a gift or for a tasting.
For every cocktail, regular Cointreau is the right choice.
Fresh, dry and full of orange peel
Fresh orange peel
Intense and bright: sweet orange, some bitter peel and a light floral note.
Sweet beginning, dry middle
First sweet, then bitter orange peel takes over. Full-flavored but not syrupy, with a clear warmth from the 40% ABV.
Long and slightly bitter
The orange lingers with a dry, slightly bitter finish. Exactly what a cocktail needs.
Cointreau's flavor profile. Noir is warmer and woodier due to the cognac, while Spicy is hot and spicy from the jalapeño.
Three ways to drink Cointreau
Cointreau is usually used in cocktails, but it's also worth drinking neat or as a long drink. Drinking it chilled is the rule.
Cointreau on the rocks
50 ml Cointreau over plenty of ice in a tumbler, with a wedge of lime or orange. The ice makes the liqueur turn milky and cloudy; that's how it's supposed to be.
Glass: tumbler →Cointreau Fizz
50 ml Cointreau, the juice of half a lime and 100 ml sparkling water in a highball glass filled with ice. Cointreau's own house recipe: fresh, light and uncomplicated.
Glass: highball glass →In a cocktail
Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Sidecar or White Lady: in all these classics, Cointreau is the ingredient that balances sweet and sour. Always well chilled in a coupe or margarita glass.
To the cocktails ↓The best cocktails with Cointreau
Margarita
Tequila, Cointreau and lime juice, shaken and served in a glass with a salt rim. The most famous cocktail with Cointreau.
Cosmopolitan
Vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime in a martini glass. The original uses Cointreau, not cheap triple sec.
Sidecar
Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice in a coupe with a sugar rim. A classic from the 1920s.
White Lady
Gin, Cointreau and lemon juice, optionally with egg white for a silky texture.The right glass for Cointreau
A margarita glass for the Margarita, a coupe for Sidecar and White Lady, a martini glass for the Cosmo and a tumbler for on the rocks. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Cointreau
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