Grand Marnier () is a French brand of

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

s. The brand's best-known product is Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of

bitter orange Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross be ...

, and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

, containing 40% alcohol (70 proof in the UK, 80 proof in the US). It is commonly consumed "

neat Neat may refer to: * Neat (bartending), a single, unmixed liquor served in a rocks glass * Neat, an old term for horned oxen * Neat Records, a British record label * Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT), a genetic algorithm (GA) for t ...

" as a cordial or a digestif, and can be used in

mixed drink A mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed. Types * List of non-alcoholic mixed drinks -- A non-alcoholic mixed drink (also known as virgin cocktail, boneless cocktail, temperance drink, or mocktail) is a cocktail-st ...

s and

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...

s. Popular examples of the latter include

crêpes Suzette Crêpes Suzette () is a French dessert consisting of crêpes with ''beurre Suzette'' (), a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier, triple sec or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, flambéed tables ...

and crêpes au Grand Marnier. Aside from Cordon Rouge, the Grand Marnier line includes other liqueurs, most of which can be used similarly.

History

According to it
official website
Grand Marnier's first distillery was built in 1827 by Jean Baptiste Lapostolle in the small city of

Neauphle-le-Château Neauphle-le-Château () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. History Neauphle-le-Château gained international fame in 1978 when, on October 8, Iranian Islamic leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Kh ...

. His granddaughter Julia married Louis-Alexandre Marnier in 1876, and four years later, the Marniers released a signature cognac with Haitian bitter orange. Swiss hotelier

César Ritz César Ritz (23 February 1850 – 24 October 1918) was a Swiss hotelier and founder of several hotels, most famously the Hôtel Ritz in Paris and the Ritz and Carlton Hotels in London (the forerunners of the modern Ritz-Carlton Hotel Compan ...

(1850–1918) reportedly came up with the name "Grand Marnier" for Marnier-Lapostolle, who in return helped him purchase and establish the

Hotel Ritz Paris A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

. During the extravagant

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

, Grand Marnier was served in the Ritz Hotel as well as the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...

. The brand has released anniversary editions of its well-known liqueur lines and became popular in the United States in the 1980s. On 15 March 2016, the

Campari Group Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded beverage industry. It produces spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature product, Campari, its portfolio has been ...

announced a friendly takeover offer for Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle S.A., the owner of Grand Marnier.

Varieties

Cordon Rouge

Cordon Rouge ("Red Ribbon") is an orange-flavored cognac liqueur and the original Grand Marnier liqueur, created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is consumed neat and is also used in mixed drinks and desserts.

Signature Series

* Natural Cherry - A blend of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge with wild tropical

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

an and Dominican oranges and European Griotte cherries. * Raspberry Peach - A blend of European raspberries and rare red peaches from

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.triple-sec

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

-like liqueur that was made with neutral grain spirit instead of Cognac. The production stopped on 1 January 2017, after the company was taken over by Campari.

Cuvée du Centenaire

''Cuvée du Centenaire'' ("Centennial Edition") was first released in limited quantities in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary. It is made with up to 25-year-old fine cognacs and is consumed neat. On average, Cuvée du Centenaire is $145 per bottle.

Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire

The ''Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire'' ("Special

Sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

Edition") was created in 1977 to honor the 150th anniversary of the brand and is currently the most expensive variety of Grand Marnier. It is made with up to 50-year-old cognacs in frosted glass bottles featuring hand-painted

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

decorations. In 2005, it was marketed with the slogan "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive."

Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle

Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle is a special tribute to the founder of Grand Marnier, Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle. Made from 82% Cognac and 18% orange liqueur, it has a rich intensity of macerated citrus combined with the warming flavors of Cognac, pine, and

Earl Grey tea Earl Grey tea is a tea blend which has been flavoured with oil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. Traditionally, Earl Grey was made from black teas such as Chinese keemun, and there ...

on the finish.

Use

As a cordial

Grand Marnier is commonly consumed "

" as a cordial or a digestif.

In mixed drinks

Grand Marnier can be used in

mixed drinks A mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed. Types * List of non-alcoholic mixed drinks -- A non-alcoholic mixed drink (also known as virgin cocktail, boneless cocktail, temperance drink, or mocktail) is a cocktail-st ...

. It can be used as an alternative to

Cointreau Cointreau (, , ) 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 cocktails. It was originally called Curaçao ...

triple sec Triple sec is an orange-flavoured liqueur that originated in France. It usually contains 20–40% alcohol by volume. Triple sec is rarely consumed neat, but is used in preparing many mixed drinks such as margaritas, cosmopolitans, sidecars, L ...

, orange-flavored liqueurs made from neutral spirits. Some examples of these include the

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

Margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...

Sangria Sangria (, es, sangría , pt, sangria ) is an alcoholic beverage originating in Spain and Portugal. Under EU regulations only those two Iberian nations can label their product as Sangria; similar products from different regions are diffe ...

Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

, and the

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

In food

Grand Marnier is used in the preparation of

flambé :''Flambé is also a type of ceramic glaze.'' Flambé (, , ; also spelled flambe) is a cooking procedure in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. The word means "flamed" in French. Flambéing is often associated with t ...

dishes, such as

, Grand Marnier

soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...

and

crème brûlée ''Crème brûlée'' or ''crème brulée'' (; ), also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, and virtually identical to the original crema catalana, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar ...

. It can also be used in the sauce of the " Canard à l'orange" roasted duck dish. It is also an ingredient in several kinds of pastries, such as liquor cream buns and the French Christmas dessert known as ''

Bûche de Noël A Yule log or bûche de Noël () is a traditional Christmas cake, often served as a dessert near Christmas, especially in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and several former French colonies such as Canada, Vietnam, and Lebanon. Varia ...

'' (

Yule log The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated with ...

). It is frequently used in recipes for cranberry sauce, as sweetness and citrus can be a contrast to the bitterness of cranberries. It can be used in some fruitcake recipes instead of brandy. It can also be drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

Awards & Recognition

In 2001, Grand Marnier's Cordon Rouge won the Gold Medal at the

San Francisco World Spirits Competition The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings inv ...

. It was also awarded the 4 Star recommendation from F. Paul Pacult's Kindred Spirits in the Spirit Journal Guide. Cuvée du Centenaire: *5-star recommendation from F. Paul Pacult's Kindred Spirits, the Spirit Journal Guide *Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2001 *Gold Medal at the

2007 Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire: *"Best of the Best"

Spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

in the

Robb Report The ''Robb Report'' is an American, English-language, luxury-lifestyle magazine featuring products, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate and watches. Founded in 1976, it is currently owned by Penske Media Corporation. It also ...

*5-star recommendation from F. Paul Pacult's Kindred Spirits, the Spirit Journal Guide *Gold Medal at the

Salon des Arts Ménagers Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

1983 –

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

*"Best

Liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2001 *Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007

References

{{Reflist

External links

Grand Marnier product website
French liqueurs Cognac 1880 introductions Orange liqueurs Campari Group