There are some things in life that are definitely more enjoyable with a friend or two. Ever trying playing on one of those playground seesaws by yourself? No fun at all. How about a rousing game of football? Yeah, you can run up the score and rock out with your best in-zone dances without embarrassment, but you don’t get to see that satisfying humiliated look of defeat on your opponent’s face. Grand Marnier is one of those things that you could enjoy by itself, but is so much better when you let it socialize with a few high alcohol content friends.
The beverage you know today as Grand Marnier did not always carry that name. When Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle first invented the liqueur in 1880, he named it Curacao Marnier. The name it carries today was given to it by Cesar Ritz when he first tasted his friend Louis Alexandre’s creation. Obviously, he was a big fan. Yes, if you are wondering, Cesar Ritz is that Ritz. A number of years later Cesar was assisted by Louis Alexandre in procuring a site for his hotel, the Ritz. So if you have ever have the pleasure of staying a night in the aforementioned hotel, pour a glass of Grand Marnier, and toast its creator because without him the hotel would probably not exist.
Grand Marnier is a combination of eaux-de-vie that is created from grapes grown in distinguished regions of Cognac, France and the essence of Citrus Bigardia oranges. To extract the essence of the orange, only the peels are steeped in netrual spirits until just the right amount of flavor has transferred over. The Cognac, which has been aged for up to 5 years, and the distilled essence of Citrus Bigaradia are then combined using a 150-year-old secret recipe and placed into oak casks for another six to eight months of aging. Once bottled, the distinctive red ribbon is hand-tied and sealed before being shipped to your favorite liquor store. This may seem like a lot of effort, but it is well worth it and explains the $46 price tag.
When sipped on the rocks, Grand Marnier has an obviously orange citrus flavor, but it comes along with a bold, sweet, almost toffee flavor added by the cognac. It flirts with being too sweet but goes down extremely smooth with only a little alcohol burn. It also makes for a decent shot when served up chilled. However, as much fun as it is to enjoy by itself, Grand Marnier really excels when you add a few friends to the mix…like Tequila! Use it to replace triple sec in a margarita, and an average drink suddenly turns into an amazing one. We also gave the Grand Tropical cocktail from their website a shot, and it turned out to be Caribbean paradise in a glass. At 80-proof, Grand Marnier has a little more punch than most orange liqueurs and, when consumed straight, will only get you lightly-toasted. Unfortunately, due to the high sugar content of this liqueur, you will be reminded of your drinking experience the next morning. Surprisingly though, it is not as bad as a lot of other liqueurs and is definitely a small price to pay to enjoy this fine beverage.
So in essence, Grand Marnier is just like naked twister. You could play by yourself, but it is just more fun with friends, friends of the opposite sex of course. It is a little pricey but well worth it because I have not found another orange-flavored liqueur that can match its bold and complex flavor. So I say pick yourself up a bottle, invite some friends over, spin the dial, and reach for that fun little colored circle.
Sipability - 6.5
Mixability - 9.0
Drunkability - 6.5
Hangover-ability - 7.0
Bang for the Buck - 4.0
Overall - 7.5 
Comments
Just few more details about GM:
It’s not 1492 but 1880
The orange is Citrus bigaradia (or Citrus Bigarrade)
Peels goes through maceration and distillation to extract flavors
Red ribbon has cognac up to 10 years (not 5)
$46 is HIGH I buy it for $40…!!
I am really like you, I love it, neat and in cocktails….
mhmmmmm…
Yeah, I really like to get some of this on the rocks as a going-away present when I’m leaving a bar for the evening. The other night I was at a redneck bar that I had never been to before and struck up a nice conversation with a cute bartender who didn’t know what the stuff was and was surprised she had it. Had she been a man, I might have slapped her.
David, thanks for noticing the little problem about the date and my lack of spelling skills. I put 1942 in there as a filler year becuase I could not remember the proper date. I figured that when I read back through the year that Columbus set foot on America would at least make me question it and look up the proper year. Apparently not! I guess that is what I get for writing the review while drinking Grand Marnier. Are you sure about the aging? I thought the regular GM was aged 5, the 100 year was aged 25 and the 150 year was aged 50.
yep
it’s up to 10yo, then up to 25 and up to 50 (blend)
cheers
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