Orange Liquor Throwdown Challenge

Hi Hiltiki, you're so funny! You're drink sounds magnificent! If it was anything like the delicious one you fixed me the last time I saw you I'm sure it's wonderful. Looking forward to getting together again soon!

Zaya

Great job hiltiki!

I'm finally feeling better, too, and hope to do some testing tonight.

Tim, I liked the first one the best (Grand Marnier), however I might try the same thing again and start at the other end and see if I feel the same way. I think maybe my taste buds were numbed after a few drinks and I couldn't make a proper decision. But I know for sure that some tasted less superior than others. I was using good tequila and some of the orange liquors were really good compliments to the mix as opposed to the other ones.
Zaya, you and Buzzy are welcome to my Zumbie Hut anytime you like . I will make you a few nice tropical drinks. Just let me know, Tim you are invited also. :)

It would be nice to hear from other members who want to do the orange liquor test.

Still can't bring myself to using Grand Marnier in drinks but the Grand Chevalier is a good substitute at a third the price. I made my margaritas with the Hiram Walker triple sec since I had bought the bottle and I actually like it better than the Hiram Walker curacao version.Go fiqure! I tried the Grand Chevalier and it was not as good as your Grand Marnier margarita Hiltiki but it was still tasty. Chip and Andy? What do you two have to say about your "research"?

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-26 19:03 ]

I'm about 2/3 done going through the 10 orange liqueurs I have (I got interrupted by The Black Donnellys). For now I'm just taste-testing each one separately, not in a cocktail. What a range of tastes, styles, and quality! I'm finding this extremely interesting.

I hope to post the entire taste-testing comparison tonight.

Well I finally got through the rest of my orange liquers. I tasted each alone, noting each and comparing at times. Here goes:

The Orange-Cognac/Brandy Liqueurs

Grand Marnier - $43, 80 proof
The original liqueuer created in 1880 by Louis-Alexander Marnier Lapostolle. A delicate blend of fine cognacs and distilled essence of tropical oranges with the addition of "the Marnier Lapostolle secret." Slow ageing in French oak casks gives it incomparable roundeness and subtlety.

Mild scent of bitter oranges with cognac. Pleasant smell. Very nice orange taste, very natural, with a mild cognac behind it. Perfect mouthfeel, just a little thick but not cloying, but thick enough to remain in the mouth for some time. A slow finish with a very mild burn, but lightly lingers in the mouth for some time. A high quality liqueur that is extremely sippable. Wonderful. In a cocktail I would think it a bit mild when looking for orange flavor, but it's high quality and cognac flavor would greatly benefit the right cocktails.

Marie Brizard Orangero - $20, 76 Proof
Cognac based orange liqueur. Andalusia is one the prestigious parts of Spain where they traditionally grow the sweetest and juiciest oranges. If you distill the blend of sweet and bitter fruit, the result will be nothing else but Orangero.
http://www.boissetamerica.com/products/ProductDetails.aspx?PrdId=188
(I think this is the same product under a new name, Grand Orange.)

The only clear one of these cognac/brandy liqueurs. Very nice natural orange smell, not too strong, with hints of bitterness. Pleasing taste, again not overly powerful. Slightly sweet, but a nice balance tending towards bitterness, with a little bit of heat. Slightly thick mouthfeel, a touch of burn, and a fast finish. This is very well done, and a pleasure to sip, but doesn't have much place in a cocktail due to it's weak taste.

GranGala - $26, 80 Proof
Imported from the House of Stock in Trieste, Italy since 1884, GranGala draws its proud heritage from the Italian beauty, culture and tradition of an earlier century. Its orange flavor is always exceptionally smooth and pleasing to the palate. Remarkably versatile, Imported GranGala is delicious in Margaritas, Cosmopolitans, straight, on-the-rocks or in shooters. It is also great when mixed with vodka, gin, vermouth, flavored brandies, fruit juices and even other liqueurs. GranGala's sophisticated orange flavor can enhance the flavor of foods ranging from appetizers to entrees and desserts and is used by five-star European chefs to delight gourmets.

One with color, it's a mild orange color, like a yellow-orange mixed with a light brandy (which it is). Smell is a odd thing, with some orange but something else, almost nutty. Taste of orange but not too much, more of the fruity brandy coming through. Pleasant enough, but not awe-inspiring. A larger sip brings more orange to the roof of the mouth, and finishes a little longer with a very very mild burn. The orange definitely comes through after letting it linger, something that doesn't really happen with a smaller sip. A fine, quality liqueur, very good for sipping if it catches your fancy, but it has some oddness - in the brandy I'd say - that would appeal to some and definitely not appeal to others. I also think that this would be a bit odd in most cocktails.

The Triple Sec Liqueurs

Cointreau - $40, 80 Proof
One of the world's most renowned brands, Cointreau is a unique premiu spirit made from orange peels, which has been enojoyed around the world for more than 150 years. Cointreau's subtle complexity can be appreciated simply over ice, with freshly squeezed lime juice mixed with sparkiling water in a refreshing Cointreua Bubbles, or, shaken for an indulgent and sophisticated cocktail such as the Cointreau Cosmipolitan or the original Margarita.

Strong smell of natural oranges, like twisting a fresh orange peel - pith and rind - under your nose. The bitterness come through quite a bit, but it's not unpleasant at all, just strong. Strong orange taste, quite sweet, smooth at first with a taste that fills the mouth with orange. A bit thick, but a pleasant mouthfeel to it. Very long finish that burns quite a burn, and for a long time. For sipping, this is quite overpowering assault of flavor and a burn that is not exactly condusive to sipping. It has a powerful taste for a cocktail, and would need to balanced to suit it's strong orange flavor.

Marie Brizard Triple Sec - $20, 78 Proof
The best bitter oranges are harvested from Haiti. The orange skins are dried under the hot Caribbean sun to concentrate all their exotic flavors. While distilling them, Marie Brizard preserves their flavor and the acute aromas that are typical of this fruit.
http://www.boissetamerica.com/products/ProductDetails.aspx?PrdId=196

Quite mild smell of oranges, much milder than Cointreau. The taste is of a sweeter, milder orange-like flavor. This is not the taste of orange peels, but rather a very strong orange slice. Almost as thick of a mouthfeel as Cointreau, but a bit smoother and more pleasant. Finish is much much shorter than Cointreau, and much milder - almost no burn at all. This is a pleasant sipping liqueur, though it might not have enough flavor for some. It does not seem like a liqueur that would be very noticable in a cocktail.

Patron Citronge - $24, 80 Proof
Patrón Citrónge is a premium reserve, extra fine orange liqueur. It is the only pure, natural orange liqueur that is distilled in Mexico and exported to the United States. No artificial flavors or chemical enhancers are ever added. Citrónge is excellent straight or in a premium cocktail. It also adds a unique flavor to gourmet cooking recipes. Citrónge and Patrón tequila make the finest, most authentic, smooth and delicious Margaritas.

Smell is stronger than MB and milder than Cointreau, with a mild sense of artificial ingredients. Initial taste is strong on the front of the tongue, with a noticable amount of alcohol taste in the back of the nose. Mouthfeel is extremely pleasant - smooth and fine. Perfect in fact. The mid-taste bursts and fills the mouth and sides of the tongue with a very pleasant flavor which subsides into the finish. However, a sneaky little burn follows down the throat - not unpleasant, just noticable. The mid-taste is by far it's best point, and this extra burst of taste would warrant a cocktail that could handle it.

Allen's Triple Sec - $7, 30 Proof
No useful information found about this liqueur. The bottle says "Allen's Liqueurs are made using the finest quality ingredients, resulting in an exceptional product to be savored.

Smell is of a medium orange, somewhat artificial and smells a bit like a candy ingredient. It's an enticing smell and makes you want more. Taste is nothing special to speak of - barely orange, with a good deal of sweetness but surprisingly not over-powerful. The finish starts with a hint of bitterness and is over suddenly, with no burn. I really can't see this doing much in a cocktail. There's just not enough smell or taste or alcohol for this to be very worthwhile.

The Curacao Liqueurs

Senior Curacao Of Curacao - $26, 62 Proof
We named it "Curacao of Curacao" to differentiate it from other brands of Curacao liqueur that are not original. We are the only original since we have the only Curacao liqueur processed with the dried peels of the "Laraha" (bitter orange native of Curacao).
http://www.curacaoliqueur.com/

Smell is a not-too-strong one of mildly bitter oranges, with tints of sweetness. Sweet taste, good orange strength, less bitter than the smell but very mildly artificial-tasting. Perfect mouthfeel, with a subtle bit clinging to the mouth to extend the taste. Very smooth, medium finish, only a tiny hint of burn. Very conducive to sipping. This seems like a good balance of orange flavor and sweetness for many cocktails.

DeKuyper Curacao - $11, 54 Proof
No useful information found about this liqueur. The bottle says "Our curacao is produced in the Old World DeKuyper tradition. The result is a smooth, naturally delicious product." It also says "Natural Orange Flavor."
http://www.dekuyperliqueurs.com

Decently strong orange smell, with a bit of artificial sweetness, though not unattractively so. Stronger orange taste than the smell, with even more artificalness in it's sweetness. Thick mouthfeel but not overly so, and not clinging. Very smooth, medium finish and no burn at all. For less than half the price of the Senior Curacao this should be considered, though the Senior is definitely in another class the DeKuyper is far more than half the quality. This should be very good in most cocktails calling for Curacao.

Leroux Curacao - $9, 30 Proof
No useful information found about this liqueur. The bottle says "Natural Fruit Flavor."

Strong orange smell with some bitter detected, though somewhat artificial. Less orange taste, more sweetness, and quickly finished with no burn at all. Relatively unremarkable, though this has enough orange taste to be considered for the inexpensive, sweet cocktails.

Summary

The first thing that keeps coming to mind is the burn at the finish of the Cointreau. No other liqueur in this review came anywhere close. This shouldn't be of too much concern in most cocktails though. It was by far the strongest orange taste, and by a lesser margin the most natural tasting.

The Patron Citronge surprised me with it's quality and mid-burst of extra taste. I look forward to using this in cocktails that need a bit more complexity, and the Mai Tai would be one of my first choices.

The similarities - and price difference - between the Senior and DeKuyper made me go back for a showdown between the two. The Senior definitely wins in this showdown, with more orange flavor and much more natural. The DeKuyper should not be overlooked though, especially since it's less than half the price.

The high quality of the Grand Marnier makes it a staple, but it's cognac base and somewhat mild orange flavor means it needs the correct cocktail, and should not be used in any old cocktail that calls for orange flavor. By the time the orange was strong enough the cognac might be too strong. Alone, or in the right cocktail, it's outstanding.

Best Orange Flavor
Cointreau

Best Overall Quality
Grand Marnier

Best Bargain
DeKuyper

Wow.....am I too late to join in? I would have to hit BevMo this weekend for several ingredients. If I am too far behind....not to fret, I will take advantage of all your recipes, plus the great info on the orange liquors and sit back and watch your experiments. :)

Scottes,
Thanks for tasting those drinks. It's great to see them all tasted side by side, and it certainly has saved me some expense. I live in the UK, so Cointreau is pretty easy to get and is what I normally use, and after reading your post, I feel good about using it and will continue to do so.

Mahalo

Scottes,

Thanks for your incredible review and the time. The one curacao you didn't mention Marie Brizard curacao is extremely hard to get around here. Around $24. If money is no object, hard to beat.
For everyday use though the Potters even though cheap is what I use.
The Hiram Walker is good but the Dekuyper is thin and too mild for my taste.

Grand Marnier, ultimate for sipping IMHO and great in drinks but damn! Even on sale its a fortune, that why I was happy to find the Grand Chevalier for a mixer. Try it!

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: ojaitimo 2007-03-28 13:32 ]

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-28 13:39 ]

Ojaitimo,

I have been looking for MB Curacao wherever I go, and after 30-40 liquor stores I simply can not find it. I wish that I could. However, I'm now a little leary after tasting the MB Triple Sec and Orangero - while both where very high quality I found them to be very weak on orange taste.

If you were to compare Cointreau and MB Triple Sec in equal amounts, the "amount" of orange taste is incredibly different - the Cointreau is so much more powerful. If the Cointreau were noticable in a cocktail I would expect the MB Triple Sec to be undetectable.

So I'm a bit leary about purchasing MB Curacao now, though if I see it I will still get it, I'm sure.

Just taste tasted the Cointreau aganst the Marie Brizard curacao. You were right Scottes, the difference is obvious. Now I have to find the Senor curacao that was compared to Cointreau in a earlier post.
Funny how Cointreau is clear and the peel taste is more prominent than most curacao. Vic used a curacao that is no longer made didn't he? I wonder which curacao made today, is closest to the one he used for the mai tai? For a margarita mixer Cointreau has my vote.

Vampiress, we are just getting started, no hurry.

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-28 15:40 ]

This recipe from 1944 says Holland DeKuyper curacao, is this the same one that is available today?

The Original Formula - 1944

• 2 ounces of 17-year old J. Wray & Nephew Rum over shaved ice.
• Add juice from one fresh lime.
• 1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao.
• 1/4 ounce Trader Vic's Rock Candy Syrup.
• 1/2 ounce French Garier Orgeat Syrup
• Shake vigorously.
• Add a sprig of fresh mint

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-28 16:15 ]

Given that Vic used such quality ingredients in the original Mai Tai, I'd have to wonder if the DeKuyper was the same - or if the DeKuyper quality has suffered over the years.

As to a margarita, I'm dying to try the Patron Citronge in one. The extra burst of taste in the Patron should be a great match to tequila.

As to Cointreau vs Senior, there is also a distinct taste difference and a strength difference. The Senior taste more of sweeter oranges (but still bitter) whereas the Cointreau tastes more of bitter orange. The Senior is also a much milder orange taste than the Cointreau. Both are very natural-tasting.

This is interesting, a review on Orangela Orange Liqueur:
http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-liqueur-orangela.htm

I'll have to look out for this one. Sounds very promising.

On 2007-03-29 04:01, Scottes wrote:
Given that Vic used such quality ingredients in the original Mai Tai, I'd have to wonder if the DeKuyper was the same - or if the DeKuyper quality has suffered over the years.

As to a margarita, I'm dying to try the Patron Citronge in one. The extra burst of taste in the Patron should be a great match to tequila.

I would imagine that DeKuyper has changed ownership, and the quality suffered. Back in the 40's, I wouldn't think that the use of chemicals was as widespread as it is today. I have no proof of that, just sort of my gut feeling.

Here's my latest report:
I've been using Triple Sec in my Mai Tais for the last few days. It's just regular old Dekuyper brand, and I usually use Dekuyper Curacao. I found that the triple sec seems to make for a sweeter drink overall. I'm going to try using Cointreau tonight. Maybe I'll get a review posted of the result. Isn't Cointreau a high-end triple sec? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that Cointreau is a family name, and triple sec is the name of the liqueur that they were making. I believe that they dropped triple sec from their name in order to prevent it from being confused with all the lesser quality brands that are now available.

Over on eGullt someone started an "Orange Liqueurs" thread, and I re-posted my comparisons from above. The fact that I called Citronge a Triple Sec started a healthy conversation about definiing the terms "triple sec" and "curacao" and discussing the origins of Cointreau and other such stuff.

Quite interesting, but nobody seems to be finding any real proof. And far too much to re-post or summarize here, so take a look at the thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=73859

So does a "triple sec" have to have actually been distilled three times? Some of the information I've seen generally calls Cointreau a high end triple sec, which is something I'd probably agree with, but I'm not sure about the number of times it's distilled, and I know nothing about the way DeKuyper or any other brand produces their triple sec, either.

Judging by some of the brands using the name "triple sec" I think the only requisite is a label that says "triple sec."

Yeah, there is no prerequisite to call something Triple Sec on the label (you'd hope there is some orange in there though--or at least some orange artificial flavor).

Look on the bottom shelf and you'll see the plastic bottle rot gut Triple Sec for $4.99.

Well, true. You can call Orange Curacao triple sec, but is it "incorrect" to call Cointreau a type of triple sec? Or is it in a class all it's own?
Anyway, I mixed up a Mai Tai last night with Cointreau instead of the triple sec I've been using the last few weeks. The taste was almost the same, but with the Cointreau instead of cheap DeKuyper triple sec, I noticed a little more alcohol taste/burn. I assume that Cointreau has more alcohol in it than regular old triple sec, but I didn't check the bottles to verify that.
Aside from the extra alcohol (not a bad thing), I thought that the overall drink tasted a little less "chemically-enhanced". It's sort of like the difference between using a fresh squeezed lime juice and the stuff in a bottle. The Cointreau definitely added a cleaner orange flavor to the Mai Tai. I forget how much Cointreau costs, but I'd imagine that it's a little too expensive to use everyday.

On 2007-04-05 13:58, TikiJosh wrote:
Well, true. You can call Orange Curacao triple sec, but is it "incorrect" to call Cointreau a type of triple sec? Or is it in a class all it's own?
Anyway, I mixed up a Mai Tai last night with Cointreau instead of the triple sec I've been using the last few weeks. The taste was almost the same, but with the Cointreau instead of cheap DeKuyper triple sec, I noticed a little more alcohol taste/burn. I assume that Cointreau has more alcohol in it than regular old triple sec, but I didn't check the bottles to verify that.
Aside from the extra alcohol (not a bad thing), I thought that the overall drink tasted a little less "chemically-enhanced". It's sort of like the difference between using a fresh squeezed lime juice and the stuff in a bottle. The Cointreau definitely added a cleaner orange flavor to the Mai Tai. I forget how much Cointreau costs, but I'd imagine that it's a little too expensive to use everyday.

Cointreau is 80 proof. Normal Triple Sec can vary from 30 to 60 or so proof.

I have noticed Cointreau has a cleaner orange taste than most other products. It costs more (about $35 a liter), but it is worth it for the clean and fresh taste, especially in cocktails with only 1-2 other clean tasting ingredients.

I can't remember if this has been covered in the post or not, but Vic might have used Orange Curacao because it has a slightly bitter flavor from the Larahas orange peels it is made from. These oranges are quite bitter and are native to the island of Curacao. So Curacao is a little different than Triple Sec or Cointreau in this regard. Vic might have thought the bitterness countered or complemented some of the other ingredients in the drink (maybe the Orgeat)...?

I'm not sure if the Bols Orange Curacao in my collection really is made this way, or if it has succumbed to "modern" production methods...but that's what I use in my Mai Tais. I would love to try Marie Brizard's version, but I haven't had the chance yet.

I have supplies so will experiment and post this weekend. May the best orange win. :)

After all of the hype from some of you about Patron Citron, I picked up a bottle at Trader Joes $17. 750ml. Haven't tried it in a Margarita yet but did make a Mai Tai with it. The curacao makes for a better drink in my book. Will make a Margarita tonight, maybe two with one using a Grand Marnier float with the Patron Citron.
(Is anyone else having trouble finding good limes because of the recent freeze?)

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-04-08 07:48 ]

Sorry for the delay. Trader Vic's 90210 closing has taken all my spare time lately. I just found these orange liquors to add to this throw down.
I haven't opened the two from France yet.

I did try the Grand Marquette which like the Grand Chevalier is another Grand Marnier wanna be. Good for drink mixing at 1/3 the cost of the real deal.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-05-16 18:48 ]

Tim, where are you getting the French ones from?

Actually found these in your area. Bev & More on Sepulveda near Burbank blvd.

Reviving an old thread here, but I just tried Clément Créole Shrubb. I was expecting rum, but it's closer to an orange liqueur like Senior Curacao. It's not a rum, but it is a very good - though extremely sweet - orange liqueur.

If you're interested, my review is here: http://scottesrum.com/2007/06/07/clement-creole-shrubb/

Well, sorry to be gone from this discussion so long. I just went back through the conversation and realized that Scottes summed it up best on page 4. His descriptions of each of the liquors I found to be spot-on, at least on the ones that I too have tasted.

I still think the Bols Curacao tastes like orange flavored Gasoline, but that is just my taste.

I will have to think for a bit on a cocktail suggestion to further this quest, anybody else got a suggestion?

I did a bit of searching and couldn't find any Tiki drink where the Orange Curacao was predominant enough to noticeably change the taste. The Mai Tai is so finicky that it comes out, but I wasn't able to decisively pick one.

Is it allowed if we change this to a non-Tiki drink, like a Sidecar? Yum....

On 2007-06-26 12:29, Scottes wrote:
I did a bit of searching and couldn't find any Tiki drink where the Orange Curacao was predominant enough to noticeably change the taste. The Mai Tai is so finicky that it comes out, but I wasn't able to decisively pick one.

Is it allowed if we change this to a non-Tiki drink, like a Sidecar? Yum....

Certainly! In the name of cocktails and mixology we should use any recipe that showcases the ingredient under discussion.

Yum... Sidecars with various Orange Curacaos... I'm drooling here...

So, Cointreau is the normal choice, and with this high-quality one used as a starting point I would immediately drop the cheaper choices (Leroux, Arrow). But would the "cognac-based" ones be too much? That is, Cognac + Orange + cognac? Or would that heighten the cognac used in the drink?? You'd probably need to choose correctly.

So I'd break this down into 2 choices - the better-quality Orange Curacaos for one test, and for the other test I'd use the cognac-based orange liqueurs. The latter would be very picky to correctly match the orange liqueur to the base cognac, I would think.

Speaking of Senior Curacao, does anyone know where I can get it in Baltimore? My last two "minis" from the Island are all but gone.

Thanks

I made a Mai Tai with Grand Marnier the other night. Makes for a much sweeter drink than Curacao. At least, I think it did. I was drinking, see, so I don't really remember......

Just getting around to this topic. Sorry.

On 2007-03-12 06:00, Scottes wrote:
PS: Which is better: DeKuyper's Curacao or Bols Curacao?

The main brands of Curaçao that we have here in Mongomery County, MD are Hiram Walker, DeKuyper, and Bols. Bols is the only good one IMO. The other two shouldn't be allowed on a store shelf. I'll have to check over in VA where I work. They might have others.

On 2007-03-29 04:01, Scottes wrote:
Given that Vic used such quality ingredients in the original Mai Tai, I'd have to wonder if the DeKuyper was the same - or if the DeKuyper quality has suffered over the years.

Suffered. That's my guess. Every time I've used DeKuyper, I've suffered.

This is from the TV site in the "Real Story" section:

*During this period {mid-1950's} Trader Vic had also changed the original Orange Curacao to one produced by Bols which was more to his liking. *

I found the DeKuyper to to be the best of the cheap crap that I had.
However, that wasn't much of a fight, since the Leroux was the only other cheap Curacao, and the Allen's was the last of the cheap crap I had. DeKuyper vs either, it's no contest.

I recently purchased the Marie Brizard and Bols curacaos. I really need to re-visit this comparison. Bols vs DeKuyper, and MB vs Senior.

On 2007-11-29 13:42, Scottes wrote:
I recently purchased the Marie Brizard and Bols curacaos. I really need to re-visit this comparison. Bols vs DeKuyper, and MB vs Senior.

I've poured the majority of a bottle of DeKuper down the drain so it wouldn't waste space in my cabinet. I'd rather have nothing than have DeKuyper Curaçao. Instead, if I'm out of Bols, I'll hike up the RCS proportion and use a few drops of pure orange extract. Don't know anything about MB or Senior.

Don't know anything about MB or Senior.

If DeKuyper were Bacardi Silver, Senior Curacao would be Ron Zacapa 15-year-old. Absolutely much better, but not necessarily in every cocktail.

One major differnce in Grand Marnier is that is a base of 50% premium Cognac with 50% Orange liquor not just orange liquor such as Curacao, Triple Sec or Cointreau. This gives the drink more layers of complexity.

I used to sell both DeKuyper & Bols when working for different distributors over the past several years. I thought that some of you might find a few things interesting:

-Both brands are made here in the USA under licence from the European owners.
-DeKuyper is made in both Bardstown, KY & Cincinnati, Oh by Jim Beam.
-Bols is distilled in Louisville, KY under licence by Brown-Forman.
-DeKuyper distills one basic liqueur, and adds purchased flavourings and colourings to make each specific product. The flavourings for all of the American DeKuyper products are all made by Givaudan (www.givaudan.com ) in Cincinnati, OH.
-Bols imports the concentrated base essences for their liqueurs from The Netherlands, which are actually made from whole fruit maceration.

IMHO, the Bols products are of higher quality than their DeKuyper counterparts. Bols' use of real fruit bases makes their flavour superior to DeKuyper, whose use of artificial flavourings detracts from their flavour. Having said that, DeKuyper outsells Bols by a wide margin, so go figure.

As a side note, some of the Marie Brizard line is imported from France, and some are made under licence in Kentucky by Jim Beam. Regardless of their point of origin, the MB liqueurs are of much higher quality than Bols, DeKuyper, Hiram Walker, etc. My main beef with MB/Jim Beam is that they charge the same (high) price for all of their items, regardless of whether they are the more expensive imported line (due to import taxes, shipping costs, Dollar/Euro exchange rate, etc.) or the cheaper domestic products. It's a dishonest practise on their part.

That is interesting. Thanks for the info.

I agree with Scottes, very interesting info!

And another side note...I believe Bols also has a higher alcohol content than DeKuyper. (Going off memory here...I don't have any bottles with me here at work!)

Just yeaterday at the local PLCB shop I saw that the Padron folks now make an orange liquor.

Patron Citronge? It's been out quite a while. I like it quite a bit - it has a unique taste profile that's nicely balanced and only a little "different" - not different enough to confuse a cocktail, but different enough to make some more interesting.

I just purchased a Cointreau knock-off made by the Italian distiller Luxardo called Triplum. WOW, it is SPOT ON Cointreau, at half the price! I dislike cheap triple sec (Hiram Walker, Bols, DeKuyper, etc) and I stick to Cointreau, not only for Tiki cocktails but for other classics like the Sidecar, Margarita, French 75 and others. The use of cheap triple sec or a bad Cointreau knock-off in these drinks show like a red flag. However, this Luxardo Triplum was indistinguishable from the real mccoy.

The best part is that it's half the price of Cointreau. Try it sometime if you come across it. Here's their website if you want to check it out:

http://www.luxardo.it/product.aspx?ID=787

The other Luxardo products that I've had are first rate as well, especially their outstanding maraschino liqueur.

http://www.luxardo.it/product.aspx?ID=778

If you happen to live in my area, and you don't mind Hiram Walker stuff. the Wine and Liquor Depot has a whole table full of Hiram Walker Orange Curacao on sale for $3.99 each, They also have H W Creme de Casis, And H W Creme de Menthe for sale. I was there today and there was plenty left.

I've been to the Wine Depot. They have a pretty good selection of booze and the prices are pretty competitive. Some really good rums and really expensive bottles of scotch.