Post #242914 by Chip and Andy on Fri, Jul 14, 2006 9:38 AM

To sum up Orgeat, it sounds like the Torani is good but sweet, the Trader Vic's is Good and sweet, the Fee Brothers is questionable. OK, it seems we are going to have to wait until someone makes a batch of Home-Grown Orgeat for a real comparison...

So, let us move on in our flavor tour of the Mai-Tai. Do please continue to share your taste opinions of Lime and Orgeat.

I know some of you have been waiting on this flavor.... Curacao.

At the risk of oversimplifying this liquor, it is an Orange flavored liqueur. The "Orange" is grown on the same island as its name sake and was supposed to have been a variety of the Valencia orange imported from Spain many, many years ago. The soil and climate of the Island of Curacao were such that the Oranges grew bitter and poorly shaped. The Spanish settlers gave up and moved on to other things. Later in history, this orange was "rediscovered," distilled, tasted, and thus Curacao was given to the drinking masses.

There are many more variations of the history of this liqueur and just as many places to find more, and more specific, details as to its origins. But, we are not here to discuss the origins of the flavor, just the flavor itself. And, since the base flavor is Orange, there are actually several other liqueurs to try including Cointreau, Triple Sec, and Grand Marnier. Triple Sec was originally Cointreau, or Cointreau was originally Triple Sec depending on which history you read. Now days, they are two different liqueurs with two subtly different flavors.

Shall we begin? Please share with us what brand you are tasting and your description of the flavor:

I have several to share with you starting with Senior Curacao's Curacao. The aroma of this one is magical, it smells of oranges and flowers and exotic spices and generally makes both of us smile. The taste is actually a let-down after the aroma because the complexities of the smell do not translate to the palate. The taste is excellent, but the smell is so much better.... The taste is like a bitter or blood orange with very subtle hints of spice. If exotic where to be a taste, this would be it.

My personal favorite is Cointreau. The flavor is very balanced between the Orange and the spices and the aroma is very refined. The taste is slightly aggressive with a pleasant lingering aftertaste that hints at all of the other flavors in the drink. It also brings a slight sweetness with it that I think compliments the richness of the Orgeat very well.

I also have some Grand Marnier on the bar. This one is Brandy/Cognac based and is much sweeter than all of the others. The taste is a very simple orange flavor with not much complexity overall. It is a very clear taste or orange, but the orange-ness of it is weak compared to all of the others. This is one that I would drink neat or over ice on a hot summer afternoon, for what that is worth.

I don't currently have any Triple Sec on the bar so I am looking foreword to your descriptions of the taste.