I was wondering if there was much difference between grand marnier and cointreau?

Question

i believe they are both orange liquors.... but are they different types of alcohol or do they taste different or are they really pretty much the same but different brands?

Answer 1

Cointreau is a Brandy and Grand Marnier is a Cogniac. Both have a orange essence, but Grand Marnier is sweet and gets you F-up!

Answer 2

not much difference ... try gran gala in your margarita ... its my favorite triple sec

Answer 3

To correct an earlier post:

Cointreau has as its base grain neutral spirits, and is flavored with orange rind - it is a light triple sec

Grand Marnier, on the other hand, is a liqueur, not a triple sec - it uses brandy as its base and is more intensely flavored with orange rind.

Basically, Grand Marnier is much more bold and heavy on the palate than Cointreau.

Also, all cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are cognacs - cognac is a brandy that is made in the Cognac area of France.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Minor changes between them but they are very similar.   I use them interchangeably for Margaritas and other mixed drinks.

You can include their poor cousin Triple Sec to that list