How to Drink Cointreau

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: January 13, 2021 References Tested

Cointreau is an orange liqueur that originates in France, and remains one of the most common brands of triple sec. It is regarded by some to be a category of liqueur of its own. While Cointreau is commonly found in cocktail recipes, it is also often consumed as an aperitif (pre-meal drink) or digestif (post-meal drink). Because of its usability in many cocktails, its distinct bittersweet flavor, and its reputation as one of the best brands of triple sec, Cointreau remains one of the most popular drink ingredients on the market today.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Cointreau in a Cocktail

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Craft a classic cosmopolitan. The cosmopolitan is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. It has a tart cranberry flavor, and uses Cointreau as a central ingredient. Begin by mixing 1.5 ounces of vodka, 0.5 ounces of cranberry juice, 0.75 ounces of Cointreau, and a splash of lime juice in a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake it until it is chilled, and strain the mixture into a glass using a cocktail strainer. Add a lime slice as a garnish. ^{[2]
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- You can measure ingredients using a measuring cup, but most bartenders and cocktail aficionados will use a jigger—a double sided metal cylinder used to measure out ingredients. Jiggers are preferred because each side measures ounces in different increments, but they are by no means essential.^{[3]
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2
Mix it in a margarita. The margarita is a refreshing and popular drink that uses tequila as its base. Start off by combining 1 ounce of Cointreau in a shaker with 2 ounces of blanco tequila and 1 ounce of fresh lime juice.^{[4]
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Research source} Shake the ingredients in a shaker with ice until you’ve reached the desired temperature and strain the mixture in to a rocks glass. Garnish the drink with a lime wheel.
- Most restaurants and bars serve margaritas in a specialty margarita glass.^{[5]
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  Research source} However, it is not uncommon to see margaritas served in an Old Fashioned or pint glass.
- Margaritas are often served in salt-rimmed glasses. To rim your glass with salt, dip the mouth of your glass in a bowl of shallow water, lime juice, or lemon juice, and then tip your glass into a small dish with salt in it.^{[6]
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3
Mix it in a Long Island Iced Tea. The Long Island Iced Tea is a popular cocktail that is notable for mixing a variety of alcohols while remaining smooth and drinkable. To start, Pour 0.5 ounces of gin, 0.5 ounces of rum, 0.5 ounces of tequila, 0.5 ounces of vodka, 0.5 ounces of Cointreau, 0.75 ounces of lemon juice, and two teaspoons of simple syrup into a Collins glass with ice. Fill the rest of the glass with cola, and garnish your drink with a slice of lemon.^{[7]
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- Long Island Iced Teas are relatively strong in terms of alcoholic content as far as cocktails go. Keep this in mind while you're drinking it and don't have more than a single Long Island Iced Tea.^{[8]
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Pour yourself a Sidecar. The Sidecar is a citrus-based brandy cocktail that is unassuming in its structure but unique in terms of its complex flavor profile. Combine 2 ounces of brandy, 1 ounce of Cointreau, and 0.75 ounces of fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake it for about ten seconds, then strain in to a prepared glass. Garnish the glass with an orange twist or lemon peel.^{[9]
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- You can run a lemon wedge or orange wedge around the rim of the glass and dip the rim in to a thin dish of sugar if you’d like to sweeten the drink.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Drinking Cointreau Straight

1
Pour it over ice. Cointreau can be exceptionally sweet for many people, but can easily be softened by pouring it over ice. Because Cointreau is 40% alcohol, you can easily enjoy it the same way that you might drink a whiskey on the rocks. Simply pour one ounce of Cointreau over ice and serve it in a cognac snifter or Old Fashioned glass.
- Cointreau Noir, a form of Cointreau mixed with cognac, is commonly served in this way.^{[10]
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Pour it neat. Don’t be intimidated by its high alcohol content or common usage as an ingredient. Cointreau has an incredibly sweet flavor profile, and many drinkers enjoy the dynamic flavor on its own. Simply pour one ounce of Cointreau in to a cognac snifter or Old Fashioned glass and enjoy.^{[11]
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- Cointreau poured neat should be sipped. It is not intended to be drank quickly, and the strong flavors can be quite stiff if ingested too quickly.^{[12]
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3
Drink it as an aperitif or digestif. An aperitif is a pre-meal drink designed to excite the senses and prepare an appetite (think of an aperitif as a drinkable appetizer). In contrast, a digestif is post-meal drink that is designed to help the body digest a meal. Cointreau can be consumed—either neat or over ice—as both an aperitif and digestif.^{[13]
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- Contrary to tradition, some digestifs can upset the stomach after a meal. If you are prone to digestive issues after a flavorful meal, it may be best to avoid drinking immediately after eating.^{[14]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Experimenting with Cointreau

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Create your own Cointreau cocktail. Cointreau is a popular staple in bars across the world for a reason. The liqueur’s orange flavor lends itself well to being mixed with a variety of spirits, including rum, brandy, bourbon, and whiskey. If you have the standard cocktail instruments at your home bar, there’s no reason for you to not play around with Cointreau as an ingredient—especially if you enjoy a citrus profile in your cocktails.^{[15]
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- Any citrus fruit can complement a Cointreau cocktail as a garnish, but an orange peel is an extremely common choice.
- Because Cointreau is a sweeter liqueur, mixers that tend to be on the sweeter side (like Coke or ginger beer) may make the drink too sweet for some people.
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Add Cointreau to existing cocktail recipes. While many feel that Cointreau’s strong flavor profile doesn’t lend itself to being used as a central ingredient, it often works in small amounts alongside drinks that benefit from a hint of orange or citrus, like a whiskey sour, an Irish coffee, or a sangria. If you enjoy Cointreau and experimenting with your beverages, feel free to play around with it as an additional ingredient in your favorite cocktail.^{[16]
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- Because Cointreau is a brand of triple sec, any drink that lists triple sec as an ingredient can be modified to include Cointreau. Just remember, Cointreau is stronger than most triple secs.
- Any drink that uses lemon or lime juice as a key ingredient (like a whiskey sour or Penicillin) can play with the flavors brought out in Cointreau, since it is drier than most triple secs and brings out the complex citrus notes.^{[17]
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- Because of its distinct flavor, Cointreau can cut through the nuances of some spirits. Avoid mixing it with spirits intended to be appreciated on their own (like fine cognacs and scotches).^{[18]
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3
Mix it in a hot drink. Cointreau’s citrus profile lends itself easily to certain hot drinks. For example, Cointreau is a listed ingredient in many hot cider cocktails that utilize rum and aromatic bitters.^{[19]
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Research source} There are also several variations on the hot toddy—a classic winter drink—that utilize Cointreau.^{[20]
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- If mixing Cointreau in a hot drink, be sure to heat the element of the drink that you’re mixing with the alcohol and not the alcohol itself. Boiling the alcohol can cause it to boil away, and can change the flavor in an undesirable way.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use lemonade?

Community Answer

If you want to. It's all down to personal preference. Try it will all different mixers and I'm sure you'll find one you like.