Grand Marnier is a cognac-based orange-infused liqueur that’s been made by the Marnier-Lapostolle family since 1880. Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle was the man who developed the recipe using aromatic orange peels from bitter oranges from the Caribbean and specially selected eaux-de-vie from 500 growers in Cognac. Its original recipe is called Cordon Rouge and is aged for 6 to 8 months after blending. Its Cuvée du Centenaire is made only with eaux-de-vie from Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne and aged two years after blending. And its Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire is made exclusively with eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne and aged three years after blending.
In 1827, Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle founded a distillery in the town of Neauphle-le-Château, just outside Paris, where he made eaux de vie. His son, Eugene, eventually took over the business and in 1870 traveled to Cognac. There, he saw an opportunity in the region’s well-known brandy. He purchased large stocks of old cognac and brought it back to the distillery. In 1880, Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, (Eugène’s son-in-law and successor) used these aged stocks to invent something entirely new—a cognac-based liqueur that was infused with oranges. At the time, oranges were incredibly expensive and exotic, so this liqueur found immediate success with members of Parisian society.
This liqueur, originally called Curaçao Marnier, was renamed Grand Marnier by the hotelier César Ritz. August Escoffier, the chef at the Ritz, liked to cook with Grand Marnier, using it in dishes like sweet Crêpes Suzette (which was named for of Edward VII of England’s mistress). Grand Marnier was also enjoyed by Franz Joseph (emperor of Austria) and on the Titanic.
Since its beginning, Grand Marnier has been popular in cocktails and with bartenders. In the 1930s it was used in a drink called the Red Lion (composed of Grand Marnier, gin, orange and lemon juice) and today it is essential in making top shelf margaritas. Grand Marnier is used in hundreds of classic cocktails, from the Cosmopolitan to the B52.
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Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge is the original liqueur recipe created by Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle. Cordon Rouge is made with cognac sourced from 500 top growers in the Cognac region.
Grand Marnier purchases eaux-de-vie (distilled spirit) directly from these growers and is the fifth-largest buyer of eaux-de-vie in Cognac, after Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell, and Courvoisier.
These eaux-de-vie are distilled in different ways to create a well rounded blend. Some are distilled to emphasize the delicate, light and floral side of cognac and others lend more fruity flavors and round, rich textures. The eaux-de-vie are aged in different ways, as well. Some go in Limousin oak for a more tannic, structured style, and others in go in casks from Tronçais to develop into a more delicate, aromatic cognac. This attention to detail results in a spirit that is complex and profoundly aromatic.
To this incomparable base spirit is added the essence of the Citrus Bigaradia, a type of bitter orange that is grown only in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti The peel from these oranges retain their incredible perfume after they’re dried and give Grand Marnier its beautiful flavor and aroma. The oranges are hand-picked at just the right moment—just after the peel changes color—to ensure that the peels contain their utmost fragrance. If the oranges are too ripe when harvested, the aroma will have passed from the skin to the pulp. Once harvested, the oranges are cut into quarters and the pulp is separated from the peel. The peels are then sun-dried to preserve their aroma.
Once dried the peels are shipped in jute sacks to the Neuphle-le-Château distillery. There, the peels are macerated in neutral alcohol, which is distilled using slow-steam distillation to isolate the purest fragrant essence. This essence is then married with selected cognacs and aged six to eight months in cask before bottling.
 The Cuvée du Centenaire was created for the centennial of the distillery. It uses cognacs only from Petite and Grande Champagne that have been aged up to 25 years. Less sweet than Cordon Rouge, this spirit puts more emphasis on inherent qualities of the cognac itself and has less sugar than the Cordon Rouge. After the orange essence is infused, Cuvée du Centenaire is blended and aged for an additional two years in cask before bottling.
The Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire was created in 1977 for the 150th anniversary of the distillery. This sublime spirit uses cognacs only from the prestigious Grande Champagne region. These cognacs have been aged up to 45 years. This blend is even less sweet that the Cuvée du Centenaire. Here, the emphasis is firmly on the sublime cognac, which is aged longer than most X.O. cognacs currently on the market. Once it has been blended with the orange macerate, the Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire is aged for an additional three years in cask before bottling.
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