The year is 2013. It was a summer of love and torrential downpours – what do you expect? I live in England!
On one rainy afternoon (or two) I sat down and went through some great cocktails that all had one ingredient in common: Cointreau.
This delicious liqueur, seen below, is a stunning, zesty little number that has been used to create some of the most celebrated cocktails ever imagined.
Cointreau, in a grasp at a perfect USP that is craved by most spirit companies these days, created their own style of cocktail: The Cointreau Fizz. The idea was to show the world the versatility to this rather fragrant French liqueur.
I worked. So brilliantly that 3 years on people are still enjoying Cointreau Fizz’s out and about. However, this post, first published by me 3 years ago, aimed to celebrate all that
However, this post, first published by me 3 years ago, aimed to celebrate all that was is classic about this traitionally out of the box liqueur…
So summer is on its way, albeit in the traditional British ‘stealth mode’ way. As I write this it’s a slightly overcast day. The trees are rustling and yet my hand is cold… It’s because I have a fantastic “Cointreau fizz” cocktail (see below) in it! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, summer is here and that can mean only one thing: Cointreau cocktails rule supreme!
The following are, in my opinion, the best Cointreau cocktails you can order:
10. Kamikaze
20ml Cointreau
10ml Lemon Juice
40ml Vodka
Strong and volatile in the wrong hands, this cocktail should be feared as well as enjoyed. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
9. Daiquiri
15ml Cointreau
15ml Lime
45ml Mount Gay Rum
10ml Agave Nectar
A slight tweak on the classic recipe. The Mount gay rum lends its golden hue to this delicious drink. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass for the best results.
8. Cointreau Cobbler
50ml Cointreau
80ml Chardonnay White Wine
2 orange slices
1 lemon slices
Shake all the ingredients and strain into a wine glass. Top up with a bit of Prosecco if you fancy a touch of class.
7. Sidecar
30ml Cointreau
30ml Lemon Juice
30ml Remy Martin VSOP cognac
Pure class in a glass; Shake and strain the ingredients into a martini glass and enjoy thoroughly.
6. Cosmopolitan
Classic Cosmo:
20ml Cointreau
10ml Lime Juice
20ml Cranberry Juice
40ml Vodka
Cointreau special: Cointreaupolitan
50ml Cointreau
30ml Cranberry Juice
20ml Lemon Juice
Whichever recipe you choose one thing is certain: Enjoyment. Shake and strain the ingredients into a cocktail glass. Add ice if you wish.
5. Margarita
20ml Cointreau
20ml Lime Juice
40ml Silver Tequila
A classic cocktail for a classic liqueur; Shake and strain the ingredients into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
4. Cointreau Caipirinha
50ml Cointreau
Half a lime (quartered)
Crushed ice
A slightly sweeter take on a Brazilian classic; shake and strain all the ingredients into a small ice-filled rocks glass and drop in a couple of lime wedges for garnish.
3. White Lady
20ml Cointreau
20ml Lemon Juice
40ml Gin
This classy little cocktail is extremely simple: shake and strain into a cocktail glass. For added class garnish with an edible flower (Try some different coloured rose petals).
2. Sunkiss
40ml Cointreau
50ml Pineapple Juice
30ml Yellow Grapefruit Juice
A deliciously sweet Caribbean cocktail; perfect for those summer evenings. Shake all the ingredients and strain into a long glass filled with crushed ice.
1. Cointreau Fizz
The reason this is my number one is for the pure versatility of the drink. If you head over to the Cointreau website, you’ll find a list of cocktails both famous and lesser known. If you look carefully you’ll find 9 different recipes for ‘Fizz’ cocktails. The only difference (generally at least) is the garnish. As many of you know the garnish is extremely important to the taste of some cocktails, and none more so than with the Cointreau Fizz.
With recipes such as; Strawberry & Mint, Mint Tea, Cucumber & Basil and Passion & Pepper, the Cointreau fizz is, literally, a cocktail for all tastes.
Here are my 3 favourite recipes:
Cointreau Fizz – Simple but stunning…
50ml Cointreau
½ fresh Lime Juice
100ml Soda Water
Cointreau Fizz, Passion & Pepper – Spicy, with a splash of passion…
50ml Cointreau
15ml fresh lime juice
2 fresh passion fruits
1 thin slice of thai chilli pepper
50ml soda water
Method: add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker (only use the juice of the passion fruits). Shake until the metal is frosted and then strain over ice into a glass. Top up with soda water.
Cointreau Fizz, Strawberry & Mint
50ml Cointreau
15ml Lime Juice
4-5 fresh strawberries
3 fresh mint leaves
50ml soda water
Method: Muddle the strawberries and mint leaves in a Boston shaker. Add the Cointreau and lime juice and shake until the metal becomes frosted. Strain into a glass, over ice and garnish with a strawberry slice and a fresh mint sprig.
Hopefully, these cocktails help you enjoy your evenings, summer or no. If you have a penchant for Cointreau then why not take a peek at my other Cointreau related posts? Click here to see more!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions on this post are my own and have not, in any way, been influenced by Cointreau or any other party.
A selection of the recipes in this post (as well as much more) can be found under the ‘cocktails’ section of the Cointreau website.
The Fervent Shaker 