Introduction
Have you ever been to a French bar?
If you have been then chances are you've encountered an orange coloured solution kept in a sophisticated looking bottle. Liquor is so exquisite that it melts you away. Widely used in a variety of cocktails, the spirit is a constant on the bar shelf.
Sweet, robust, and smooth, are just some of the adjectives you can use to describe the liquor —a brand of alcohol known as Grand Marnier.
What Is A Grand Marnier?
It is a famous French liquor brand made from a blend of French cognac and bitter orange liqueur. Founded by Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle in 1880, the brand has since then established itself in the liquor business and has become an icon for luxury and sophistication.
It offers an ingenious taste of bitter orange on top of a layer of brandy. The cognac itself in the solution imparts vanilla, oak, and toffee flavours, which give it a sweet, smooth taste.
Grand Marnier consists of 40% by volume of alcohol, which is an equivalent of 80 proofs, making the liquor as hard-hitting as other alternatives such as rum, whiskey, or brandy.
Their signature product that adorns bars worldwide is known as the Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, also commonly known only as of the Grand Marnier. However, they do offer other variants of spirits as well. Let's have a look at some of them now.
Types Of Grand Marnier
Apart from the signature series, Grand Marnier offers a few other alternatives. These are standalone products and are a pleasure to be had on their own. These include:
Cuvée de Centenaire: It comes with a blend of eighty-two per cent X.O cognacs as well as eighteen per cent orange liqueur.
Cuvée Louis-Alexandre: This unique liqueur contains eighty-two per cent of a younger cognac and the rest 18 per cent as orange spirit. It is exclusively available in Canada and France, Quebec, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Cuvée 1880: It has a very different ratio when compared to the previous two. It comes with 90% of cognac with a meagre 9% as a proportion of orange spirit.
Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire: It is currently the most high-end variant of Grand Marnier available in the market. It comes with a blend of up to 50-year-old Cognacs and orange liqueur. Moreover, it comes in an exquisite bottle made up of frosted glass featuring Art Nouveau Decorations, imparting a luxury aura around it.
Cuvée Quintessence: This is one of the rarest spirits ever created. It offers a unique ratio of eighty-two per cent of old cognac from the 'Grand Champagne' mixed with eighteen per cent orange liqueur.
How To Drink Grand Marnier?
The Grand Marnier is an extremely versatile drink owing to the cognac and subtle orange flavours. Often used as a base for multiple cocktails, this liqueur is a staple in every bartender's arsenal.
Keep reading, and you'll become a master at the secrets of the Marnier in no time.
The Grand Mariner is consumed in numerous ways. Let’s explore a couple of them.
Neat: Also known as the ‘straight’ form of consuming the liqueur, it neither involves mixing the drink with other spirits nor diluting it. This method is recommended for those who have a knack for alcohol and like their drinks raw.
On The Rock: It is a more diluted alternative than consuming the spirit ‘neat’. The method involves pouring 2-3 cubes of ice into your drink which acts as a diluting agent, thus lowering the bitterness and alcohol. This method is recommended for those who are new to the liqueur game and want to test the field first before jumping into the ‘neat’ way of drinking.
As Cocktails: Owing to its versatility, the Grand Marnier is used in a wide array of cocktails. It’s commonly used as a base for drinks because of the massive amount of alcohol it contains and the orange colour it imparts. It’s also widely used in cocktails like the margarita or as a replacement for whiskey in drinks such as the ‘old-fashioned’.
Conclusion
The Grand Marnier is your doorway to a luxurious drinking experience. It is an exquisite and versatile drink that you can have in a variety of ways to supplement your parties. It ensures that everyone gets something to relish, whether as neat or in the form of a cocktail.
So go on now, take your pick, and feel the luxury.
