Ferrand Dry Curacao Triple-Sec, 70cl

Product Information

The sweetening requirement is what makes cordials distinct from dry flavored spirits such as gin. In the United States, where “cordial” and “liqueur” are used interchangeably, regulations require that they contain at least 2.5 percent sugar by weight and be made from “fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices therefrom, or other natural flavoring materials, or with extracts” of those materials. In Europe, cordials refer to non-alcoholic drinks. We use the terms based on U.S. regulations.

Fun fact: the bottle was originally named Curaçao Marnier because of its high brandy content, but after Cesar Ritz, the founder of the Ritz Hotel, dubbed it a "grand liqueur," the name was changed. Curacao is generally said to be the original orange liqueur. Created in the 17th century by the Dutch on the island called Curacao, it is now both a category of liqueurs and a brand name.Both types of orange liqueur usually work with a neutral base spirit to ensure the orange flavor shines: Triple Sec often with sugar beet, native to Europe, while Curaçao is typically based on sugar cane, growing in the Caribbean region. Senior & Co, a company started in Curaçao, is the only company that has always produced its liqueur from the peels of the laraha from Curaçao. The family, Senior and Chumaceiro, started selling their liqueur in 1896 in their pharmacy in small quantities. In 1947 they bought the landhuis ("country manor") Chobolobo in Willemstad, where the distillery has since been housed. The company states that it is the only one that uses native laraha fruit, and label it Genuine Curaçao Liqueur. [10] Overall, both types of liqueurs have a tangy, tart, dry, and somewhat sharp taste. However, Curaçao has a more pronounced sweetness and bitterness. Triple Sec, on the other side, has a cleaner palate and is significantly drier.

The owner of Pierre Ferrand told me the name refers to the three separate distillations of the peels and spices that go into making it, which are later blended. It gets its particular flavor from a bitter, green-skinned variety of oranges, called Curaçao (or Laraha) oranges, whereas most other orange-based liqueurs are made from other types of sweet or sour oranges. Curaçao liqueur is traditionally made with the dried peels of the laraha ( Citrus × aurantium subsp. currassuviencis), a bitter orange that developed on Curaçao. [4] Spanish explorers had brought the progenitor of the laraha, the bitter Seville orange, to the island in 1527. [5] [6] Although the bitter flesh of the laraha is unpalatable, the peels are pleasantly aromatic. [7] The liqueur is mentioned several times under the spelling "curaçoa" in William Thakeray's Vanity Fair of 1847–1848 as a drink taken by dissolute young men. For example, Lady Jane Southdown pays her brother "a furtive visit in his chambers in the Albany; and found him – O the naughty dear abandoned wretch! – smoking a cigar with a bottle of curaçoa before him." [11] The Champagne cognacs are typically elegant, with flowery aromas; cognacs from the outer appellations have more fruit-forward scents.

New Arrivals

One of the first companies to make Curacao was Bols and they still create it today along with the distinctive Blue Curacao which has a similar orange flavour but brilliant blue colour. Triple Sec usually is see-through, while Curaçao is mostly sold as colored versions (blue and orange). Even the market leader in the Triple Sec category, Cointreau, is colorless despite many thinking otherwise due to the iconic orange-colored bottle. The spirit base for cordials is often neutral, but it certainly doesn't have to be. A robust spirit like whiskey, for example, can mix beautifully with other flavoring agents. Common flavors include fruits ranging from stone fruit to citrus and berries to nuts, as well as coffee and chocolate and even aromatic spices and seeds. Some liqueurs include a touch of cream to round out the other tasty elements. Triple Sec was invented in 1834 in the kitchen of distiller Jean-Baptiste Combier and his wife, Josephine. They combined Hawaiian oranges and sweet Valencia oranges, creating a distinct flavor through their three-step distillation method. Cointreauis by far the most famous Triple Sec brand. Other notable brands producing the orange liqueur are Combier, DeKuyper, and Bols. Substitutes

Cognac’s six appellations, or Crus, circle the city of Cognac. Their soils range from light chalk to clay, with the most desirable regions containing the most chalk, which provides superior drainage. The two most prestigious Crus are Grand Champagne and Petite Champagne. (Don’t confuse these with the famous French sparkling wine region located more than 200 miles northeast!) Cognacs made with a blend from these two areas – with at least 50 percent from Grand Champagne – may carry the label “Fine Champagne.” Today, it's no longer required that Curaçao liqueur is produced on the island. Therefore many brands make the liqueur in other parts of the world, using other ingredients. Only one distiller remains who still produces Curaçao according to the traditional recipe using original Laraha oranges (curacao oranges). Triple sec is a very similar type of liqueur to curacao only it uses both sweet and bitter oranges. when the original curacao was brought to Europe by the Dutch, everyone was impressed. These days the Seville orange and several other varieties are used for both types of orange liqueurs. Their peels are soaked in alcohol and then get distilled to concentrate the flavors.The wine is distilled twice in a Charentais pot still. Some producers will distill the wine with its lees, the dead yeast deposits remaining from fermentation. This process produces a full-bodied spirit that develops rich dried fruit and nut qualities during barrel maturation. Other producers may remove the lees to make a faster-maturing, lighter spirit. Although the final product may be as much as 72 percent alcohol by volume, producers usually distill it closer to 60 percent ABV.