Cointreau (, ,[
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> "Cointreau" (US) and ) is a brand of orange-flavoured triple sec liqueur produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, France. It is consumed as an apéritif and digestif, and is a component of several well-known . It was originally called Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec. 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. 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.
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
. 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.
The production methods and recipe are a trade secret, but public tours of the facility are offered. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.
Cocktails
In addition to being consumed neat (or often on
ice), Cointreau is used in many popular
.
The official IBA recipes for the
Corpse Reviver and the Cosmopolitan include Cointreau.
When mixed with water, Cointreau exhibits the
Ouzo effect.
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,
[ Cointreau, Dita Von Teese Unite, 17 January 2008. ] a campaign created in 2003
[ Re/Max Wants More Personality, 17 March 2003.] by the New York advertising agency
KraftWorks.
[ Kraftworks NYC ] The product's "
Margarita" advertising campaign began in 2023 with
Aubrey Plaza as its spokesperson.
[ Stanley, T.L. "MargaRight or MargaWrong: Aubrey Plaza Sets the Record Straight for Cointreau," Adweek.com, Wednesday 14 June 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2025.]
See also