Showdown: 2 Orange Liqueurs, 1 Marg
Everything else equal, does Cointreau or Grand Marnier make the better cocktail?
Last week was all about Blanco vs Reposado tequila, and the Repo won out. I thought it created a rounder overall drink that was just a bit more interesting. That showdown was made with Cointreau.
This week, that Cointreau goes head-to-head with Grand Marnier while the reposado stays in both. I’ve done something similar before, but never for margs. “Standard” vs “Cadillac” coming right up…
Cointreau “Standard” Reposado Margarita
I’ll just repeat what I’ve said before here:
The wood you can smell in the juice jumps right to the front of the palate in this margarita, and this time it brings orange along as well. The initial impression is quite sweet as a result, but then the acid and grass come through on the finish. If you concentrate on each ingredient in turn as you sip, I think you can really taste each one independently.
As for the Cointreau impact specifically, I think it’s really all about how the bright orange combines with the slight oakiness here. Even as it dilutes, that contrast is clear and it’s lovely. Though it does tend to lose all of the other flavors with more dilution as well.
Grand Marnier “Cadillac” Reposado Margarita
First things first - this looks less like a margarita to me. The dark liqueur makes the drink a light orange, and it feels just a tiny bit wrong. But, once you get past the looks, the drink itself tastes drastically different as well.
The orange is much more pronounced, and it’s a bit sweeter - this tastes less like a sharp orange with woody sweetness and just a sweet orange from the jump. That does highlight some of the deeper notes in Reposado as well, but they take a back seat to that big sugary citrus.
It also finishes a bit harsher, which I suspect is because you really can taste some independent brandy in Grand Marnier. It makes it a stronger, less refreshing drink but certainly one that’s more clearly based around citrus at the same time. It also hangs around much stronger as it dilutes, and a little more water helps bring out some of the agave flavors that hide initially.
The Winner: The “Standard”
I liked the standard here originally because it was a fuller drink than one made with unaged tequila. But adding an aged liqueur on top of it just makes it a bit too big for me, and it drinks less like a margarita. I get it, but I don’t think it’s my house recipe.
Clean Cointreau just results in clean drink that I really enjoy.