cointreau

Dita Von Teese Launches Cointreau Coffret For The Holidays

Filed under: Spirits

International glamour girl Dita Von Teese has been the face of Cointreau for a while. Now the burlesque queen famous for her retro style and her provocative performances is teaming up with Cointreau for a special holiday gift set, the Cointreau coffret. The Dita Von Teese's Cocktail Coffret and boudoir set is a girly pink box that holds a bottle of Cointreau, two cocktail glasses and a custom designed shaker. The powder pink and pearl box has a mirror and a trapdoor for concealing other treasures. It sells for $299.

Tags: cocktail coffret, cointreau, Dita Von Teese, gifts for women, holiday gift idea, holiday gift ideas

Luxist Gift Guide 09: Catherine Malandrino for Cointreau

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining, Spirits, Holiday Guides

This holiday season two unique luxury brands Catherine Malandrino and Cointreau, both brought to the States via France, have teamed up to deliver the ultimate gift bottle. Malandrino chose the symbol of the Statue of Liberty, arguably the best thing the French ever gave us, to mark the limited edition Cointreau bottle.

The Cointreau bottle has remained remarkably unchanged for nearly 160 years, making this one of the hottest collector's bottles of the season. Malandrino's romantic bottle remains true to the silhouette, but is dressed in stars and lace, calling to mind the signature detailed cuts and handicraft trims of her ready-to-wear collection.

Cointreau is a must to give our favorite cocktails that slight edge of "Je ne sais quoi" sweet and bitter oranges, making for the most perfect margaritas or cosmopolitans. Bring this luxury gift to your hostess this holiday season to spice up any cocktail hour.

Cointreau Cosmopolitan Recipe
2.5oz Vodka
1.5oz Cointreau
1oz Cranberry Juice
0.5oz lime juice
Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with twist of orange to bring out the flavor of Cointreau.

Gallery: Catherine Malandrino for Cointreau

Tags: Catherine Malandrino, Cointreau, Fashion, liqueur, spirits

Cointreau Spherification - Tiny Pearls of Booze

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Last week, I went out to Sag Harbor to sample the highly exclusive Cointreau Pearls at Sen. The Pearls can only be made with a special kit designed by French mixologist Fernando Castellon. There are currently only 20 kits in the United States -- and only eight of them are behind bars (in the hands of very carefully selected bartenders) where they can be used to create scientifically delicious cocktails for the public.

The process of making the pearls, called "spherification," was designed specially for Cointreau as, due to its unique natural sugar content and pH level, it can be turned into "Cointreau caviar" (which is what it looks like) without the use of chemicals which would alter the flavor of not only the liqueur pearls, but of whatever cocktail they're dropped into. The pearls are made with just Cointreau, Evian (because it has the right calcium levels), and "sphere gel," which is vegan -- no gelatin like you find in other pearl formulas. Edible gold flakes can also be blended into the mix.

The formula is typically dropped from above into a calcite bath (shown), and then kept in water, where they get progressively harder. Depending on how firm you like your Cointreau roe, you might let the pearls sit longer in the water or your drink ... or you might drink all the faster.

From floating in champagne to sinking gracefully in pomegranate martinis, the pearls add a sophisticated orange zing to any cocktail -- and even hold up in hot drinks (so forget marshmallows!). Food coloring doesn't alter the flavor or inhibit the process, so bartenders can be very creative.

To read more about how they're made and how to serve them, check out the gallery below, and watch the video to see Sen mixologist Derek Neilsen creating Cointreau Pearls with a red pepper shaker!

Gallery: Making Cointreau Pearls at Sen

Tags: cointreau, cointreau pearls, hamptons, spherification

The Classicist: The New Ritz-Carlton Bar Experience

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, The Classicist

The Ritz-Carlton is rolling out a new "Bar Experience" at its luxurious properties worldwide, building on a tradition of elegant cocktails and catering to a new generation of patrons. Where once such bars were once noted for their high-end singles scenes and some serious drinking, the company's latest research shows they are now primarily visited by those more interested in socializing with friends and colleagues, and hence food is increasingly important. So is the whole concept of "comfort" as opposed to ostentation. The new Ritz-Carlton bar experience includes both new cocktails, new appetizers and even edible cocktails. The impeccable service remains as always.

The new bar menu features gourmet comfort food meant for sharing among a group. The final menu includes 30 snazzy snacks such as brie and parsley risotto balls, smoked salmon and arugula egg rolls, chilly water lobster flat bread and calamari in remoulade sauce. Each Ritz-Carlton property features a selection of these 30 in addition to some local specialties. The idea behind the whole project is to reinvigorate and reposition the brand, eliminating the "illusion of rigidity" and prohibitive priciness the luxe chain may have given off in the past and "creating a nice environment where you feel comfortable" in the bars and lounges.

We went down to the elegant bar at 2 West at the amazing Ritz-Carlton Battery Park in New York City to experience it firsthand the other night and got extremely comfortable, so we would say it's definitely working. On the cocktail front, among our favorites was the Sunsplash, made with Grey Goose L'Orange vodka, Cointreau, fresh lemon and orange juice, and cranberry. Another standout was the Ritz-Carlton Martini, made with Tanqueray No. 10 gin, simple syrup, peeled English cucumber, mint and lime juice. Food-wise we particularly enjoyed the Italian spicy sausage and artichoke pizza, the mini Black Angus beef sliders, and the plate of artisanal cheeses served with quince paste, honey comb and chutney.

Gallery: New Ritz-Carlton Bar Experience

Tags: bar, Bulgari, cocktails, Cointreau, Frette, Grey Goose, GreyGoose, hotel, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Battery Park, Ritz-carltonBatteryPark, vodka

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Tasting Cointreau Noir

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

If regular Cointreau is just a bit too orange-heavy for you to drink by itself you might want to taste Cointreau Noir. The tagline for the drink is "nothing to add," highlighting the fact that Cointreau on its own is a ubiquitous mixer.

The new Cointreau Noir is a blend of Cointreau liqueur and Remy Martin cognac meant to be sipped neat over ice or straight. The bottle is almost identical to the regular Cointreau bottle's squared shape except this bottle has a bright copper coating and a bold black label. But it's what inside that commands attention. The pairing of Cointreau and Remy Martin has resulted in mellowing out Cointreau's sweet orange flavor and adding soft vanilla and nut notes, as well as a golden amber color It's a natural for pairing with fall desserts like pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. It also turns a cup of coffee into a deliciously decadent drink Were I headed to an outdoor fall event, this would be a wonderful warmer to keep in my flask. It can be found for around $63.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Tags: cointreau, drinks, liquor, spirits

Blogger Tastes 23 Orange Liqueurs And Picks A Favorite

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Ah what some bloggers will do in the name of research. Intrepid drinks blogger Jay Hepburn of Oh Gosh sampled 23 orange liqueurs over the course of several months to determine which was the best. After countless margaritas, sidecars and straight sips of orange liqueur, he has determined the best of the best. He gave the award for best overall to Giffard Premium Curaçao Triple Sec for both mixing and sipping separately. Hepburn is a British blogger and so this orange liqueur might be hard to find here in the States. Fear not, the most ubiquitous of the orange liqueurs, Cointreau, got high marks for its utility in mixed drinks.

[via Alcademics]

Source

Tags: cointreau, curacao, orange liqueur, OrangeLiqueur

Dita Von Teese Gets "Cointreau-versial"

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

On Monday night, top-drawer French liqueur Cointreau celebrated their partnership with new brand ambassador Dita Von Teese at an elaborate event in NYC. The shindig at the Angel Orensanz Center saw the U.S. debut of "Be Contreauversial," the haute-burlesque dancer's new performance, involving a giant martini glass, of course. Cointreau has committed to a two-year collaboration with Von Teese, who was briefly (and disastrously) married to Marilyn Manson.

The event also served as the debut of the Cointreau Teese, a new cocktail created in Dita's honor using violet syrup. Here's the recipe (see the Gallery for a photo):

1 ½ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. apple juice
½ oz. Monin violet syrup
½ oz. fresh lemon juice

Shake and strain into a martini glass with a ginger-frosted rim; garnish with a violet. Bottoms up.

Gallery: Dita & Cointreau