The popularity of Cointreau was originally driven in Britain by an English wine shipper, George Glendenning, who discovered the liquer when visiting Bordeaux in 1902. He was so impressed that he travelled to Angers to meet Edouard and subsequently started importing Cointreau. However, in 1923 Glendenning informed the Cointreau family that their product was too sweet for the British palate and an extra dry version for the British market was created. It is this ‘triple sec’ (triple dry) version that has since been marketed around the world.

In the period between the two World Wars, Coinreau removed the term ‘triple sec’ from the label to differentiate it from any similar liquer produced by other liquer houses. However, if you are following a cocktail recipe that calls for ‘triple sec’ then Cointreau is almost certainly the liquer the author intended to be used.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Fresh and zesty mandarin orange zest with a touch of naval orange oil and a faint waxy overtone. Deeper notes of preserved lemon and a touch of spiced honey.

Palate: Explodes with zesty, bright orange and lemon with undertones of spice, nutmeg and cinnamon with boiled lemon sweets. Very refined and clean.

Finish: Dry with spice, bitter orange zest and whiskey marmalade.