It never occurs to many people to use the mixers in their home bar or liquor cabinet in their kitchen. Three high-end orange-flavored liqueurs – Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and the lesser-known but distinctively flavored Mandarine Napoléon – rocket cocktails to an exospheric level and add an intense layer of flavor to sauces, soufflés, and flaming desserts.
Grand Marnier
Grand Marnier is the premium orange-flavored liqueur, both in quality and flavor and in price (around $40 for a bottle at current exchange rates). It is often drunk neat as an after-dinner drink, unlike many other orange-based liqueurs.
Grand Marnier was created in 1880 by one Alexandre Marnier (thus its name) -Lapostolle. It is 80 proof (40% alcohol by weight) and is made from a cognac base and distilled bitter orange. Bitter orange is an actual variety of orange. The orange used for Grand Marnier and many other orange-flavored liqueurs is the Citrus aurantium. Other bitter oranges such as Seville oranges and Bergamot oranges are cultivated around the Mediterranean and are better known for their use in marmalades and teas (Earl Grey being the most famous example).
Several varieties of Grand Marnier are produced. The red ribbon variety (Cordon Rouge) is what you’ll usually find at your local liquor mart. Yellow ribbon (Cordon Jaune) is rarely found in the U.S. and is of lesser quality, made with neutral grain sprits instead of cognac.
Three very elite versions are made with aged cognacs: Cuvée de Centenaire (Centennial Edition), Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire (Grand Marnier 150), and Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Laspostolle. These begin at around $150 a bottle; the last one in particular can be bought in duty-free shops and parts of Canada.
When you smell Grand Marnier, you will immediately get a strong whiff of its cognac base. The predominant flavor also tends to be the cognac, with the orange very subtly peeking through.
Grand Marnier is used in the same cocktails in which you would use triple sec or curaçao: cosmos, margaritas, mimosas, sidecars. Unlike those other mixers, Grand Marnier is used frequently in cooking, particularly elaborate desserts such as crêpes Suzette, soufflés, Yule logs, and crème brûlée. With our enthusiasm for fancy coffees these days, it can even be found in lattes!
Cointreau
Cointreau is considered a premium type of triple sec. Clocking in at 80 proof, higher than most triple secs, Cointreau is often drunk neat as either a digestif or apéritif. Cointreau combines dried peel of bitter oranges from several regions, not just the Caribbean, with white flowers, fruits, and spices added for their distinctive flavor.
The liqueur is manufactured near Angers, France, about 200 miles southwest of Paris. The first bottles were produced in 1875, and the Cointreau family still oversees operations, although one member defected to run Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris. Early on, the Pierrot character was the symbol of the company, but James Bond was used in their ads in the 1960s. In 1989 the company merged with cognac maker Rémy Martin.
Cointreau is used in the same cocktails as other triple secs: cosmos, margaritas, sidecars. It is also widely used in cooking, and not just in desserts. Cointreau marries particularly well with seafood and in vinaigrettes, and its flavors blend beautifully in sauces and mousses.
Cointreau has a slight orange smell, without the strong cognac fragrance of Grand Marnier. It is also slightly sweeter than Grand Marnier, although not as sweet and having a more complex combination of flavors than other triple secs. At current exchange rates, a bottle will run you around $40. Cointreau Noir, a blend of Cointreau and Rémy Martin cognac, goes for upwards of $60 a bottle.
Mandarine Napoléon
Mandarine Napoléon liqueur was actually developed by Napoleon’s physician, Antoine-François de Fourcroy, in the early 1800s. Mandarin oranges were considered very exotic, and they grew well on the island of Corsica, where Napoleon was born. Forcoroy had the bright idea to macerate them in alcohol and then mix the distilled results with cognac. Napoleon reportedly liked the brew named after himself.
The Forcoroy family bottled the liqueur for sale beginning in 1892, and the recipe is still a family secret. The company gets its oranges from the island of Sicily and southeast Spain. The dried peels are used for the distillation process, and the resulting alcohol is then aged for two years. Twenty-one secret herbs and spices are added to the mix, as well as sugar. Cognacs that have been aged for at least six years are used in the final blending process.
The version usually found in liquor stores is Mandarine Napoléon Classique, which is 76 proof (38% alcohol by weight). It is drunk neat or on ice, or used in cocktails that call for triple sec or curaçao. Perhaps the best cocktail combinations for it are the simplest where the flavor can shine through, like with tonic or with a fine bourbon, such as Jim Beam’s Distiller’s Series.
The liqueur also marries well with a medium-bodied coffee (not an over-roasted Starbucks). You rarely find recipes that call for it, but Mandarine Napoléon’s delicate mandarin orange flavors would stand out in a dish such as duck à l’orange or in a lovely soufflé.
The top of the line is Mandarine Napoléon Réserve Impériale (Imperial Reserve), sold in a distinctive teardrop-shaped bottle. This would be drunk as an after-dinner drink, never used as a mixer. A bottle of this will set you back well over $200! Stick with their regular line, which costs about $40 a bottle, although if someone asks you what you want for your birthday…
Grand Marnier, Cointreau, and Mandarine Napoléon are three of the more expensive mixers on the shelves of your local liquor mart, but they will win you acclaim from your friends and other guests for your skills as a mixologist and as a cook.
David Anderson - David Anderson lives in southern Indiana in a 100-year-old house with 2 dogs, an akita and a schipperke, and 2 cats, a fat tiger and a ...
