Alcohols By Volume (ABV) » Orange Liqueur

Tasting Notes: Grand Marnier Review

Derrick Schommer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:08:45 +0000

Grand Marnier is a blend of cognacs with the essences of bitter orange first introduced in 1880 and continues to be a dominant liqueur in the industry. When it comes down to comparing orange liqueurs, Grand Marnier has to participate but, we believe, it won’t take home first prize when you set your expectations on the “orange” of the orange liqueur.

Smell: Cognac with some minerals, a little “poopy” manure with the muted scents of pulpy orange and alcohols burn.

Taste: Light orange, French oaks, brown sugar with echoing that of a bourbon, not as sweet as other orange liqueurs in the category.

Cost: When it comes down to cost, you better really love the flavors of a cognac because you’re paying for it. At around USD $45, Grand Marnier isn’t the best value for your orange liqueur in a cocktail even with its complex flavors. While the flavors are definitely more varied than a normal orange liqueur, it almost does them all halfway but never hits home in any one.

Combined Rating:

Smell: 2.0 / 5.0
Taste: 2.0 / 5.0
Cost: 2.0 / 5.0
End Score: 2.0 / 5.0

Summary: Oddly enough, we’re not huge fans when it comes down to comparing it against the alternatives, at a cheaper cost. We’ve had better cognacs and we’ve had better orange liqueurs, so where should we place this one? While many reviewers will tell you how awesome Grand Marnier is and how it pairs well in a cocktail (such as the Margarita), I think you’ll find an awesome experience with some of the other options on the market, such as Senior Curacao of Curacao a true authentic orange for half the cost. You may be a huge super fan of Grand Marnier and that’s perfectly okay as everyone’s tastes are different, we just enjoy going outside the typical.

Tasting Note: Senior Curaçao of Curaçao

Derrick Schommer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:04:26 +0000

The “Golden Orange of Curaçao,” also known as the Valencia orange isn’t known as a very delightfully delicious fruit. While it flourished in California and eventually became the root crop behind the company Sunkist, the Curaçao Island did something much different to the fruit. The climate differences, soil condition and the abandonment of the fruit to grow wild left a inedible product with bitter tastes–not even the local goats would eat it. “It was not till decades later (the exact date is lost in history) that someone discovered that the peels of this orange, thoroughly dried by the sun, contained an etheric oil with an extraordinary pleasing fragrance” (curacaoliqueur.com)

Since 1896, Senior Curaçao of Curaçao has found a use for these inedible fruits, and we’re loving every minute of it at 31% ABV.

Smell: Juicy orange smells, very much a beautiful sweetness with slight zesty attributes and no real alcohol smell.

Taste: Elegantly sweet with a smooth coating that coats the sweetness across your palate without attacking with a fake-candy like experience. This is a sweet spirit without overly fake sweetness–just the right amount of all attributes.

Cost: At the cost of USD $26.99, this is an orange liqueur that cannot be passed by if you find it on the shelf. The most difficult problem may be finding it at the local store. You can definitely pick this up online if your State allows you to ship alcohol to the home.

Combined Rating:

Smell: 5.0 / 5.0
Taste: 4.5 / 5.0
Cost: 5.0 / 5.0
End Score: 4.8 / 5.0

Summary: This may be our highest scoring spirit in any category of tasting. Having tasted a few fine orange liqueurs across many different costs, Senior Curaçao of Curaçao does something no other Curaçao has done: brings authenticity and orange flavor without the artificial sweetness found in the cheap products. This product does everything its expected to do without going outside its specialization. A great cost, great taste and great nose all in a single spirit which makes this a must buy orange liqueur. You can find a clear, blue and orange version of this spirit, we suggesting buying them all. You’ll never want a USD $9 triple sec again.

Tasting Notes: Patrón Citronge Review

Derrick Schommer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:28:19 +0000

Patrón calls it the only natural orange liqueur product in Mexico with no artificial flavors or colors. They say it’s excellent straight or in a cocktail like the Margarita. How do we feel it tastes? Actually, not so bad! You’ll find Patrón Citronge running about 40% ABV, pretty potent stuff.

Smell: Not quite delightful, intense alcohols, model paint with a muted orange zest/rind after cutting through the alcohols.

Taste: Quite unlike the scents, there is almost no alcohol burn on the palate. Smooth refined sweetness of orange as you’d expect, with a light alcohol in the finish. Authentic tasting, which is inviting.

Cost: Patrón Citronge arrives at roughly USD $28.99, which isn’t a bad price for the taste but we’ve seen a more competitive cost for such flavors. The cost would be more competitive if the nose matched the taste.

Combined Rating:

Smell: 1.5 / 5.0
Taste: 3.5 / 5.0
Cost: 3.0 / 5.0
End Score: 2.6 / 5.0

Summary: Unfortunately Citronge falls short of our expectations because the cost is simply too high to pay for the overall flavor experience. It’s a good flavor, but it’s not exceptional and to command USD $28.99 or around that price when there are other orange liqueur’s on the market for a few dollars less that have exceptional smells and tastes causes this to fall short. However, if your region doesn’t have some of those more impressive orange liqueurs, Patrón Citronge is something to consider especially considering their market penetration. In our Margarita’s we’d use Citronge over Grand Marnier for the flavors and cost.

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ABV 06: Orange Liqueur Cocktails

Derrick Schommer — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:35:47 +0000

Today we’re putting our orange liqueur cocktails to the test with the Orange Bomb cocktail. We picked this cocktail because it’s not simply one ingredient yet it’s not overpowered with too many spirits. The orange liqueur’s being tasted include: Senior Curacao of Curacao, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Patron Citronge and Combier Orange Liqueur.

Orange Bomb Cocktail

1 oz Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1/2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
1/2 oz Half-and-Half (Cream)

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, and serve.