PARCHED | THE ONLY ORANGE WE'D VOTE FOR

The iconic orange liqueur was perfected in 1875 by Edouard Cointreau, and today – six generations later – Alfred Cointreau is still a member of the house.

Because of growth, the original distillery in downtown Angers, Loire has been moved to a facility outside of town. The wonderful aromas of orange permeates the whole area.

cointreau-orange-peels

The liqueur is crafted with both sweet and bitter orange peels. The orange pulp is never wasted, it’s made into juices and food flavour concentrates.

The Cointreau recipe is secret, only known to three family members who never travel together.

The oranges come from all over the world, though Valencia and Sevilla are reputed to have the best.

cointreau cocktails

Cointreau is at the heart of 350 famous cocktails, most notably the Margarita, Sidecar and Cosmopolitan. One of our recent faves is the Breakfast Martini:

45 ml dry gin

15 ml Cointreau

30 ml lime juice

1 teaspoon marmalade

Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

cointreau coffret

Then there’s the two iterations of the classic: Blood Orange and Noir. Cointreau Blood Orange is made from the distillation of sweet and bitter orange peels as well as blood orange peels from Corsica. Cointreau Noir is the marriage of the signature triple Sec and Remy Martin, which results in the mellowing out of Cointreau’s sweet orange flavor and with it the addition of soft vanilla, honey and nut notes, as well as a golden amber color. The nose is intense and complex, and you can drink this neat, or just with a dash of lime.

(The gift pack coffret is available exclusively at online
retailer www.75cl.sg for S$86)

And that iconic square shape of the bottle? It was inspired by a perfume bottle.

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