All About Triple Sec Liqueurs

Explore your cocktail cart and get to grips with key ingredients with our expert guide to triple sec. This style of orange liqueur, with its sunny citrus flavours, is a brilliant way to brighten up your cocktails and add a dose of zesty, fruity flavours.

What is Triple Sec?

Triple sec is a style of orange liqueur originating in France, which is usually clear in colour. While there’s a lot of debate over its name, which directly translates from French as ‘triple dry’, one theory is that the term was coined by the brand Cointreau, in honour of the three types of orange peels they use to make it.

How is Triple Sec made?

Typically, oranges are harvested when their skin is still green, before they fully ripen, so their essential oils remain in the skin rather than the flesh of the fruit. The orange peels are then carefully cut and steeped in a natural spirit. The spirit is then redistilled and mixed with more neutral spirit, water and additional ingredients.

It’s worth noting that the process will differ from brand to brand, and specific recipes and production techniques often remain a closely guarded family secret, as is the case with Cointreau.

What does Triple Sec taste like?

A good-quality triple sec will have a strong citrus flavour, with a good balance of bitter and sweet orange notes. This should be complemented by clean aromas on the nose, and a complex finish that lasts long on the palate.

What brand of Triple Sec should I try?

Cointreau is a premium triple sec. The secret recipe was first developed in the late 19th century by brothers Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau and has played a pivotal role in cocktail culture ever since.

Today, terroir remains extremely important to the brand, with many of the sweet and bitter oranges they used sourced from Brazil, famous for its exceptional oranges.

How do I drink Triple Sec?

Triple sec can be drunk neat over ice, but equally, it can be found in literally hundreds of cocktails, like the Breakfast Martini, Cosmopolitan and Sidecar, to name a few.

1. White Lady cocktail

A timeless classic, the White Lady cocktail needs just 3 core ingredients, with optional egg white for a deliciously foamy texture. It's an easy one to master at home and looks the part in the glass.

2. Blood Orange Ginarita

With earthy gin, zesty citrus flavours and a hint of salt, this lip-smackingly good cocktail is perfect for celebrating summer. Simply shake, strain and sip!

3. Long Island Iced Tea

This iconic, amber-coloured cocktail is a firm favourite on drinks menus the world over. It's a punchy combination of spirits and light citrus flavours, all topped up with a subtly spiced cola.

4. Orange Russian cocktail

Looking for something sweet and decadent? Look no further than our tasty twist on the classic White Russian. Combine gin, triple sec, coffee and cream for a delicious dessert cocktail in a flash.