Grand Marnier liqueur: description and characteristics of a popular drink

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Grande Marnier liqueur occupies not the last place among strong alcoholic drinks on the world market. This wonderful slightly sweet citrus infusion with a pleasant refined aroma has been pleasing true connoisseurs of drinks of this class for many decades. According to experts, it can be safely attributed to the category of elite alcohol.

Interesting to know

The creator of the original drink is the Frenchman Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostol. It was he who, in 1880, being engaged in a family business for the production of liqueurs, invented an unusual recipe, combining the taste of noble cognac with the aroma of bitter orange. Deciding to get an outside opinion, Louis-Alexandre invited his friend to taste the new product. As soon as he sipped the wonderful infusion, he immediately exclaimed: “Oh, the Great Marnier!” This randomly thrown phrase gave the name to the new drink. This is how the famous liqueur "Grand Marnier" was born.

The product was immediately put into production. In his short timepopularity grew so much that, according to statistics, it very soon became the most exported cognac in France. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Grand Marnier liqueur could be found on the wine lists of the world's largest hotels and restaurants. Historians claim that several bottles were even found at the bottom among the wreckage of the sunken Titanic. Liquor "Grand Marnier" at one time was very respected by the Prince of Wales. And today, the British Queen Elizabeth II herself is a big fan of this drink. Therefore, in honor of her eightieth birthday, the manufacturer released a separate series in 2006, designing the bottles in her favorite purple tones.

Product Description

Grand Marnier is a 40% alcohol drink made from cognac spirit with the addition of green oranges. The product preparation technology is a rather lengthy process. First, selected grapes brought from the Cognac region are subjected to special processing. The resulting spirit is double distilled and then aged in oak barrels for six years. At this time, in the Caribbean, the preparation of orange (the main component of liquor) is being prepared. After harvesting, the zest is removed from the fruit and dried naturally in the sun. The finished raw material is sent to France, where an alcohol infusion is made from it. At the final stage of the process, the components are joined together. A few secret ingredients are added to them, and the result is a wonderful Grand Marnier.

Finishedproducts are poured into original bottles, shaped like distillation cubes. A satin ribbon is tied around the neck and sealed with a wax seal. It is in this form that the product enters the stores.

Unbiased opinions

In domestic stores, one can hardly find Grand Marnier liqueur in free sale. The reviews of those who still had a chance to try it say that the product is really worthy of the praise that can be heard in his address.

At one time, when it was about cognac with citrus flavor, only the famous "Curaçao" was mostly mentioned. The combination of wine spirit with nutmeg, cloves, orange peel and cinnamon in it delighted many. But the French "Grand Marnier" is something else. The presence of orange in its recipe makes the taste of the drink not quite ordinary. Being a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin, this citrus has an unusual bitterness, which, in combination with fragrant cognac, gives an original and very pleasant taste. But many are still confused by its forty-degree fortress. Quite justifiably, there is a doubt, what is it: cognac liqueur or liqueur cognac? This is probably why it is more often used not in its natural form, but as an ingredient for making cocktails.

Red Ribbon

The assortment of French fruit liqueur is not rich. Currently, there are only two varieties of it:

1. Cordon Jaune. The name translates as "yellow ribbon". It is extremely rare for sale. On a bottle withthis product really has a yellow ribbon attached.
2. Cordon Rouge (translated as “red ribbon”). In fact, the Grande Marnier Cordon Rouge liqueur is exactly the same drink that Louis-Alexandre Marnier once invented. It has a pleasant sweet taste with pronounced notes of mandarin. The bouquet of the drink is quite complex. It simultaneously combines the tastes of toffee and candied fruits, almonds and hazelnuts, caramel and vanilla, as well as zest, oak and fragrant citrus jam. The aromas perfectly complement each other, and the long aftertaste allows you to better feel each component. This liqueur is good in any quality. Firstly, it can be used neat with ice as a digestif or aperitif. It can be served with ice cream, fruit or any dessert. Secondly, this liqueur is an excellent component for a cocktail.

In addition, the manufacturer periodically releases a limited number of products aged up to fifty years.