Grand Marnier

Grand Marnier(French pronunciation:[ɡʁɑ̃maʁnje]) is a French brand ofliqueurs. The brand's best-known product is Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, an orange-flavored liqueur created in 1880 byAlexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is made from a blend ofCognac brandy, distilled essence ofbitter orange, andsugar, containing 40% alcohol (70 Britishproof/ 80 US proof).It is commonly consumed "neat" as acordialor adigestif, and can be used inmixed drinksanddesserts. Popular examples of the latter includecrêpes Suzetteand crêpes au Grand Marnier.
Aside fromCordon Rouge, the Grand Marnier line includes other liqueurs, most of which can be used similarly.
According to its official website, Grand Marnier's first distillery was built in 1827 by Jean Baptiste Lapostolle in the village ofNeauphle-le-Château. His granddaughter Julia married Louis-Alexandre Marnier in 1876, and four years later, the Marniers released a signature cognac with Haitian bitter orange.
Swiss hotelierCésar Ritz(1850–1918) reportedly came up with the name "Grand Marnier" for Marnier-Lapostolle, who in return helped him purchase and establish theHotel Ritz Paris.During the extravagantBelle Époque, Grand Marnier was served in the Ritz Hotel as well as theSavoy Hotel.The brand has released anniversary editions of its well-known liqueur lines and became popular in the United States in the 1980s.
On 15 March 2016, theCampari Groupannounced a friendly takeover offer for Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle S.A., the owner of Grand Marnier.
Cordon Rouge ("Red Ribbon") is an orange-flavored cognac liqueur and the original Grand Marnier liqueur, created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. It is consumed neat and is also used in mixed drinks and desserts.
Cordon Jaune(Yellow Ribbon) was atriple-secCuraçao-like liqueur that was made with neutral grain spirit instead of Cognac. The production stopped on 1 January 2017, after the company was taken over by Campari.
Cuvée du Centenaire("Centennial Edition") was first released in limited quantities in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary.  It is made with up to 25-year-old fine cognacs and is consumed neat. On average, Cuvée du Centenaire is $145 per bottle.
TheCuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire("SpecialSesquicentennialEdition") was created in 1977 to honor the 150th anniversary of the brand and is currently the most expensive variety of Grand Marnier. It is made with up to 50-year-old cognacs in frosted glass bottles featuring hand-paintedArt Nouveaudecorations. In 2005, it was marketed with the slogan "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive."
Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle is a special tribute to the founder of Grand Marnier, Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle. Made from 82% Cognac and 18% orange liqueur, it has a rich intensity of macerated citrus combined with the warming flavors of Cognac, pine, andEarl Grey teaon the finish.
Grand Marnier is commonly consumed "neat" as  acordialor adigestif.
Grand Marnier can be used inmixed drinks. It can be used as an alternative toCointreauortriple sec, orange-flavored liqueurs made from neutral spirits. Some examples of these include theCosmopolitan,Margarita,Sangria,Sidecar, and theB-52.
Grand Marnier is used in the preparation offlambédishes, such ascrêpes Suzette, Grand Marniersouffléandcrème brûlée. It can also be used in the sauce of the "Canard à l'orange" roasted duck dish.  It is also an ingredient in several kinds of pastries, such as liquor cream buns and the French Christmas dessert known asBûche de Noël(Yule log). It is frequently used in recipes for cranberry sauce, as sweetness and citrus can be a contrast to the bitterness of cranberries. It can be used in some fruitcake recipes instead of brandy. It can also be drizzled over vanilla ice cream.
In 2001, Grand Marnier's Cordon Rouge won the Gold Medal at theSan Francisco World Spirits Competition.It was also awarded the 4 Star recommendation from F. Paul Pacult's Kindred Spirits in the Spirit Journal Guide.
Cuvée du Centenaire:
Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire: