Orange liqueurs like Cointreau and Grand Marnier have got it going on. Blend a shot or two into a top-shelf margarita and then add a few tablespoons to cake batter for an orange-y warmth. A bottle of orange liqueur in your cupboard is like liquid gold. What's your favorite brand?
If you've never tried orange liqueur on its own, give it a sip next time you're mixing a cocktail. It's silky, warming, and bursting with pure orange essence. Most orange liqueurs are made from by infusing a mix of sweet and bitter orange peels into straight alcohol, much like making limoncello. Grand Marnier gets an additional depth by using brandy as the infusing medium.
The same sweet-sour quality that makes orange liqueurs such a snazzy cocktail ingredient also makes them a great ingredient in the kitchen. When mixed into baked goods, orange liqueur adds just a hint of orange-y goodness. For a more powerful punch, use it in frosting or syrups. Good-quality orange liqueurs can be served all on their own as a pre-dinner aperitif or an after-dinner digestif.
Feeling the urge for some orange now?! Take a look at these recipes:
Cocktails:
• The Lucien Gaudin: Gin, campari, orange liqueur, and vermouth
• The Knicker Twist: Vodka, orange liqueur, lime, and apricot jam
• Poinsettia: Cranberry juice, sparkling white wine, and orange liqueur
• The Golden Dream: Orange liqueur, Galliano, orange juice, and cream
• All About Margaritas: Tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juiceOther Recipes:
• Blood Orange Syllabub
• Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
• Tarte Aux Pommes
• How to Make a Sweet Bread Pudding
• Sustainable Seafood Stew
What's your favorite brand of orange liqueur and what do you make with it?
Related: Make It Now, Gift It Later: Crema di Limoncello
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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My mother always used Cointreau in her chocolate trifle, which is basically a layer of chocolate cake sprinkled with Cointreau, a layer of mousse, then whipped cream and chocolate shavings, repeated.
I keep a bottle of Grand Marnier, especially after I found out that my favorite taqueria uses Grand Marnier in their margaritas . . !
By the way, GM is infused with true cognac, not just any brandy. ;-)
I'm a big fan of Torres, as it has great orange flavor while being a little less expensive than Cointreau or Gran Marnier...
The orange liqueur from Leopold Brothers is by far my favorite, way more than Grand Mariner or Cointreau. So delicious. http://www.leopoldbros.com/Liqueurs.html
I remember a chocolate terrine my mother used to make with cointreau. Super rich and very grown up but oh so delicious...
My father makes Cointreau like orange liqueur without infusing orange peels into straight alcohol.
He puts alcohol into a glass jar. Then, cover the "mouth" of the jar with a giant orange real tight
It takes several weeks and you have to rotate the orange after some time (to fully extract the orange oil).
This way, the bitterness of orange peels stay alway from the liqueur.