A versatile addition to your business, orange liqueur adds sweetness and fruitiness to delicious concoctions and is a vital ingredient in classic cocktails like margaritas and the Sidecar. But shopping for orange liqueur can be a little confusing to your customers, as there are several different kinds.
Triple sec and curaçao, among others, are common, orange-flavored liqueurs, but they do have some differences.
They can range in bitterness and in alcohol by volume. The base spirit used in distillation or aging can be different. Some are clear and some are colored. Even the viscosity is different from one style to another.
Another difference? Triple sec and curaçao are types of orange liqueur that can be made by many different brands, while there are also specific brands that are proprietary blends.
Here’s an overview of the different types of orange liqueur.
Triple sec originated in France and its name translates as “triple dry.” Today, many brands produce triple sec, so its flavor and price point can vary. Triple sec is very citrusy, almost like an orange-infused vodka. The quality ranges based on the brand.
The alcohol by volume (ABV) varies, too, ranging from 15%–40%. Triple sec, which has a clear appearance, also tends to be sweeter and syrupier than proprietary blends and, depending on what kind you buy, the orange flavor can resemble a freshly zested fruit or have an artificial taste.
Triple sec is a common ingredient in a margarita, where you are trying to get the essence of orange without competing with all the other dominant flavors of that cocktail. Another use is a tropical sangria, using red wine, a fresh mix of fruit, triple sec, peach schnapps, and orange juice.
Like triple sec, Curaçao is produced by multiple brands at many different price points, it’s thought to be the original orange liqueur and many people consider Curaçao to be the traditional orange liqueur. It’s on the sweeter side. It almost tastes like a dried, peeled orange, portraying a bitter taste.
The name refers to a type of bitter orange that grows on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The oranges are inedible on their own, but their peels are used to make orange flavoring. Curaçao, the liqueur, doesn’t need to be made from these specific oranges, and so most brands likely use some sort of substitute.
As such, Curaçao (15%–40% abv) can come in many different colors, including a bright blue. You can use the liqueur interchangeably with other orange liqueur brands.
What distinguishes these blends from triple sec and Curaçao is that they are brands of orange liqueur made from specific recipes. Some were founded in France in the 1800s. Some are made from sweet and bitter orange peels that result in a balanced taste between bitter and sweet. Others are blends of Cognac and orange liqueur that taste of bitter orange, balanced by the Cognac’s notes of hazelnuts and toffee. Some of these brands are clear in color, while others lean more toward amber and topaz in color.
