Cointreau
From Free net encyclopedia
Cointreau is a brand of Triple Sec liqueur, and produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, a suburb of Angers, France. Cointreau sources its oranges from all over the world, notably Spain and Haiti When spoken, it is pronounced kwan'-tro.
Cointreau is used for cooking as well as for drinking. It is most commonly used as a digestif, as well as for other purposes, including apéritifs. It is often consumed without additions. Cointreau is considered to be either a premium brand triple sec or a unique category of liqueur. With a 40% alcohol content, Cointreau is strong for a triple sec; usually such liqueurs are about 23%.
Production
The Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau from Angers. They concocted a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beet. In 1875 the first bottles of Cointreau were sold. It is now estimated that thirteen million bottles are sold each year, in more than 200 countries.
The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but tours of the distillery are open to the public. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.
Controversy
Rémy Contreau experienced controversy over the actions of Guacimal, a company to which it subcontracts its orange picking in Haiti and owns a minority interest. Campaigners claimed that Guacimal refused to enter into meaningful agreements with the legally registered workers’ unions. Furthermore there were reports that representatives of Guacimal's management violently threatened and attacked union members. [1] Rémy Cointreau publicly stated its intention to have local laws and customs respected wherever it conducts its business, and the above actions are illegal in Haiti. It is not known precisely whether the situation has been resolved, though this may be partly due to the unrest in Haiti in 2004. There are no reports relating to Guacimal's intimidation since 2002.