Grand Marnier


Grand Marnier is a French brand of liqueurs. 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, and sugar. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge is 40% alcohol.
Aside from Cordon Rouge, the Grand Marnier line includes other liqueurs, most of which can be consumed "neat" as a cordial or a digestif, and can be used in mixed drinks and desserts. In France, this kind of use is the most popular, especially with crêpes Suzette and crêpes au Grand Marnier.

History

According to their , Grand Marnier's first distillery was built in 1827 by Jean Baptiste Lapostolle in the small city of Neauphle-le-Château. His granddaughter Julia married Louis-Alexandre Marnier in 1876 and, four years later, the Marniers released a signature cognac with Caribbean bitter orange.
César Ritz reportedly came up with the name "Grand Marnier" for Marnier-Lapostolle, who in return helped him purchase and establish the Hotel Ritz Paris. During the extravagant La Belle Époque, Grand Marnier was served in the Ritz Hotel as well as the Savoy Hotel. The brand has released anniversary editions of its well-known liqueur lines and became popular in the United States in the 1980s.
On March 15, 2016, the Campari Group announced a friendly takeover offer for Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle S.A., the owner of Grand Marnier.

Varieties

Cordon Rouge

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

Awards

Cordon Jaune was a triple-sec Curaçao-like liqueur that was made with neutral grain spirit instead of Cognac. It was only sold in some European countries and at some major international airports. The production stopped on January 1, 2017, after the company was taken over by Campari.

Cuvée du Centenaire

Cuvée du Centenaire 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. It is more expensive, at about US$145 per bottle.

Awards

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

Awards

Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle is a special selection of cognacs taken from the best known districts and aged at length in oak casks. It is only available in duty-free shops in Canada and France and liquor stores in Quebec, Canada, and the Netherlands.

Use in food

Grand Marnier is used in several kinds of pastries, such as liquor cream buns. It can also be used in the French Christmas dessert known as Bûche de Noël. It is frequently used in recipes for cranberry sauce, as sweetness and citrus can be a contrast to the bitterness of cranberries. It is also an ingredient for the preparation of flambé dishes, such as crêpes Suzette, Grand Marnier soufflé and crème brûlée. It can also be used in the sauce of the "Canard à l'orange" roasted duck dish. It can be simply drizzled over vanilla ice cream. It can also be used in some fruitcake recipes instead of brandy.

Mixed drinks

Grand Marnier can be used in mixed drinks. It can be used as an alternative to Cointreau or triple sec. Some examples of these include the Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Sangria, Sidecar, and the B-52.