The distinguished and refined Cointreau is still produced according to a secret recipe that has remained unchanged for 150 years. Adolphe & Jean Cointreau, famous master confectioners, established a distillery in Angers to make spirit from local fruits in 1849. Jean's son Edouard formulated a unique Eaux de Vie in 1875 from sweet and bitter orange peel, with a highly crystalline robe, a major novelty of the time. He is also credited with the square, amber coloured bottle design, the modern version of which still remains the signature of Cointreau to this day.

The recipe for Cointreau is closely guarded secret. What we know is that the strength of crystal clear spirit is infused by baskets laden with sun dried orange peels. Their intricate colours define different orange flavors, greenish bronze for bitter and orange/ red for sweet, which yield a greater fruit intensity. The peels are treated to a maceration and finally distilled in well burnished red copper stills to extract the precious essential oils. An addition of secret ingredients, which are also completely natural, give the finished Liqueur its creamy roundness and aromatic vigour which inspires the palate and tantalizes the senses