Orange Liqueur Taste Test - Will The Real Curaçao Stand Up? Cocktails After Dark
Orange Liqueur is like many liqueur categories very misunderstood by most people, with a fair amount of misinformation clouding the discussion. I’m not sure that we can fully resolve this - but let’s give it a try?
TL;DR
Let’s break this down:
- Orange liqueur is the category of orange flavoured liqueurs.
- Curaçao is a type of orange liqueur that uses Laraha, or Seville bitter orange peels.
- Curaçao can be made from a base alcohol of Brandy, Cognac, or a Neutral grain spirit.
- Curaçao would have in its original form been made with Rum.
- Triple Sec is the highest grade of Curaçao liqueur.
If you wish to read more:
Here is a Newspaper article that appeared in newspapers across North America in the summer of 1894 - If you do a search you’ll see it in dozens of newspapers coast to coast
Salina Daily Republican Tuesday Jul 17 1894:
Off the northern coast of Venezuela lies a little island named Curacoa, about forty miles long and ten wide at its widest part, which has cut quite a figure in history. It was settled by the Spaniards as early as 1527, and 107 years after it was seized by the Dutch, then at the height of their maritime glory. In 1798 and again in 1806 it fell into the hands of England but was finally ceded back to Holland in 1811.
Since then its only claim to fame or talisman for the attraction of commercial attention has been the dreamy, luscious, truly tropical liquor, or cordial, which bears its name. The thrifty Dutch planters, after exporting for many years sugar, cotton, indigo, tobacco and salt, which is now the main export of the island, discovered that from a species of small, bitter orange, the citrus Aurantium curassuviensis, which grew in wild abundance and to which no special heed was paid, a peculiarly pleasant drink was rudely distilled by the negro slaves in their hours of leisure.
Of course, the Dutch planters, with superior methods of distilling, improved on the rude invention, and in process of time, only the peel of the bitter orange came to be used, not the fruit itself. This peel was cut off in rings or pendant spirals, and then dried, after which it became an article of commerce, sent principally to Holland, for it was only for a few years that the liquor was made on the spot in large quantity.
Today curacoa is made in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England and America besides, but still the Dutch brand is considered by connoisseurs as far superior. Of this there are several varieties, but “Le Ruban Vert”, or green ribbon, curacoa is accounted the best. This again is sub-divided into two kinds, the red and the white, and of these, there are four grades, the doux, or sweet, the demi-doux, the sec or dry and the triple sec.
The oranges whose peel is preferred are now mostly grown in the south of Europe, and yellow kind, as well as a green, is much in vogue. These oranges are peeled nowadays in quarters as well as in spiral strings, or ribbons, but one of the principal manufacturers of this cordial in this city imports chiefly the green-ribbon kind, but because there is much less waste to it, the peel being twice as thin, and, therefore, half as leathery.
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As you can see by 1849 the Island of Curaçao had very little (no) commercial activity around the production of this Orange liqueur.
It is believed that the first European company to manufacture Curaçao Orange Liqueur is the Bols company founded in Amsterdam, and probably invented ‘Blue Curaçao’ around 1912, and originally sold as ‘Crème de Ciel’. It is the same as the other Curaçao made by them; just with blue food colouring added so that it could be used in blue cocktails that were all the rage in the early 1900s.
The original liqueur made on the island of Curaçao would have been made with the Laraha orange peels and a rudimentary rum spirit. By the time it was being made in Europe in the early 1800s it was being made with Cognac, Brandy, or Eu de Vie (an un-aged fruit Brandy). Today it is typically made with Brandy, Cognac, or a Neutral grain spirit.
The term ‘Triple Sec’ is (as everything with alcohol) disputed… But originally it referred to a quality grade of Curaçao - Triple Sec being the highest quality, with ‘Doux’ being the lowest grade.
Now on to Cointreau and Grand Marnier….
Just because neither says 'Curaçao' or Triple Sec on the label doesn't mean that they aren't!
When Cointreau was first introduced the label read: ‘Curaçao Blanco Triple Sec’. So Cointreau is the highest quality of clear Curaçao; but they later removed this designation from the label to distinguish themselves from the other Curaçao on the market. To be sure Cointreau is a Curaçao Triple Sec.
Grand Mariner is a similar story it is made from Cognac, Brandy, and bitter oranges - It’s also a Curaçao Triple Sec.
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