COINTREAU

The iconic Cointreau brand came into being in 1849 in the vinous centre of the universe, France (at least that’s how the French tell it), when confectioner Adolphe Cointreau and his brother, Edouard-Jean, branched out from the sweet stuff and went full-alcohol on the world. The brothers created a totally new kind of spirit, blending the fruits of their local region, Angers, into the wild cherry liqueur known as Guignolet. When sales went through the roof, the Cointreau brothers founded their first distillery and created another innovation: a crystal-clear liqueur based on a careful blend of sweet and bitter orange peels from the most exotic parts of the world, which they duly named after themselves (simultaneously bestowing immortality on the family moniker). Six generations in, the Cointreau family is represented by Brand Ambassador and Heritage Manager, Alfred Cointreau, while Master Distiller and guardian of the brand’s historic savoir-faire is Carole Quinton. The legendary liqueur is integral to such famous cocktails as the Margarita, the Sidecar, the Cointreau Fizz and the Cosmopolitan.