Spirits · Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, Pays de la Loire

Cointreau

The crystal-clear orange liqueur from Angers that anchors the Margarita and Sidecar.

Founded: 1849
Founded by: Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau
Based in: Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, Pays de la Loire

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Making it since

1849

Their story

Cointreau began in 1849 in Angers, in France's Loire Valley, when confectioner Adolphe Cointreau added liqueurs to the family business. His brother Édouard-Jean joined him in 1856 and helped move the distillery to grow exports.

Orange liqueur shows up in the brothers' recipe books by 1857, but it was Édouard Cointreau, son of Édouard-Jean, who perfected the clear version in 1885 after he and his wife Louisa took over the company. In 1989 Cointreau merged with Cognac house Rémy Martin to form Rémy Cointreau, and since 1972 the liqueur has been made at a distillery in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, just outside Angers.

How it's made

Cointreau is made from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels, used both dried and fresh, following a fixed house recipe. The peels are distilled to produce a clear, aromatic spirit that balances bright citrus with a gentle bitterness.