Cointreau goes back to the future with a new blend

It is a marketing adage that you never mess with a successful formula; but Cointreau has just added to its worldwide range for the first time since it launched in 1849. 

La Maison Cointreau, known for its iconic square-bottled orange liqueur that sells around 13 million bottles each year, in more than 150 countries, has just launched a new variant: Cointreau Noir.

Bernadette Langlais, Cointreau’s master distiller, says she was inspired by “Majestic”, which was a premium blend of Cointreau orange liqueur and cognac crafted by Edouard Cointreau in the early 1900s. She decided to put her own spin on Majestic,create Cointreau Noir.

Cointreau Noir is a blend of Cointreau orange liquor and Fine Champagne Cognac: described as "an irresistible marriage of Cointreau’s perfect balance of sweet and bitter orange peels and world’s finest cognac, Rémy Martin".

Well that's what the marketers say. I'm pretty much a wine and beer drinker nowadays other than the odd Tanqueray and tonic, but a I found one glass of this over ice post dinner was not enough. It's delicious. 

Langlais enriched the original recipe by adding macerations of nuts and almonds, adding aromas and complexity. 

There is still the bright orange peel flavour; a touch of spice, some vanilla and honeyed characters, and it finishes with plenty of smooth, mellow length. 

“We have spent the last few years endeavouring to hone the final product and reach the perfection we set out to achieve,” says Langlais with considerable hype.

The end result, however, midway between a liqueur and a cognac, and is designed to appeals to dark spirit connoisseurs and cocktail lovers. The recipe, like that of the original Cointreau, is a secret.  

Alfred Cointreau, a sixth generation member of the Cointreau family, visited Australia to launch Cointreau Noir (my invitation must have got lost in the post) and Cointreau Noir is now available at an RRP of $64.99.