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Cointreau, Angers, Loire, France | |
| This delicious orange liqueur is made in only one place in the world: Saint Barthélemy d’Anjou, just outside of Angers. | ||
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Around the world people enjoy the delicious orange-based liqueur called Cointreau. It's wonderful as an after dinner digestif, and it's also used in margaritas and other cocktails such as cosmopolitans or side cars. We have enjoyed touring wine and champagne houses in different parts of France, and decided it would be fun to visit Cointreau when we were in nearby Angers. And it was! Be aware that the Carré Cointreau distillery is located in an industrial park. This is not a scenic tour of a château as you might have in Bordeaux, but rather a visit to a working site. Tours are offered mainly in French, though they are also available in English. At this time, three levels of tour are offered, and each ends with a tasting. Current prices range from 11 to 20€. Our guide was an enthusiastic young woman who explained the process for distiling Cointreau. We were surprised to learn that it is made only from orange peels, from both sweet and bitter oranges. The Master Distiller's job is to make sure the balance is right between the types of oranges, which can come from many parts of the world. The guide spoke well, but the distillery area can be somewhat noisy, so it can be challenging to hear. But you'll get the sense of what Cointreau is and how it is made.
In 1849 Adolphe Cointreau founded the House of Cointreau. He was joined later by his brother and nephew. Part of the visit includes photographs and memorabilia of the Cointreau family and the various celebrities they have met over the years. In 1885 the brothers got the patent for their unique brown, square shaped bottle, which is still how Cointreau is bottled today. People are often surprised to find a clear liquid inside a brown bottle, but that's what they have always done. And many people have tried to imitate Cointreau! Part of the tour is a display of the many bottles of "fake" Cointreau that have been produced over the years. In 1989 Cointreau and Rémy Martin merged, forming the Rémy Cointreau group. One outcome of this merger was the offering of "Cointreau noir," a blend of Cointreau and cognac. At the end of the tour, on a very hot day, we were greeted in the bar with a cool and delicious drink of Cointreau, lime juice, and fizzy water, over ice. After that the host invited several members of the group to try their hands at making margaritas, which we also enjoyed. And to top it off, we were able to sample a small bit of Cointreau Noir. And of course there is a gift shop, where you can buy Cointreau in various sizes, as well as an assortment of Cointreau-flavored candies, cookies, and other items. And by the way, it's easy to find the Carré Cointreau building--it's bright orange! And you'll see lots of orange in other aspects of the decor. You can get there by car or by bus from Angers; several buses go there, with varying amounts of walking required. Check to see which will work best with your schedule. Carré Cointreau
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Above, Entrance to the Cointreau distillery and shop. Lots of orange around there!
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