Cointreau-versial cocktails with Alfred Cointreau @ Strato @ Troika Sky Dining

Founded in 1849 by Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau, Cointreau is a perfect marriage between sweet and bitter orange peels resulting in a crystal clear spirit.

Upon contact with water, the clear spirit clouds, and the taste changes slightly.

I learnt this and more in a during an interactive cocktail making master class held to showcase the finest qualities of this orange liqueur. Alfred Cointreau, the 27-year old 6^th generation representative of the family and Heritage Manager of the brand was personally present to chat and demonstrate a few Cointreau cocktails recipes.

Cointreau, the world’s finest orange liqueur, is steeped in family tradition, having retained the same incomparable recipe since the brand was founded over 150 years ago. Enjoyed by stylish urban women across the globe, Cointreau is sold in over 200 countries with 1 million Cointreau drinks consumed daily on average.

QUICK FACTS:

• Cointreau is an orange liqueur made with natural sweet and bitter orange peels
• Has the highest concentration of essential orange oils compared to other liqueurs, thus making it the most aromatic orange liqueur
• The least sweet orange liqueur with just 240g/L of sugar compared to others (avg 300g/L)
• Opalescence is the most intense and appears the most rapidly, reflecting great freshness (opalescence: proof of the presence of limonene, an essential oil which gives zesty notes and freshness)

THE ORIGINAL HEART OF 4 MAJOR COCKTAILS

• White Lady: Created in 1919 in honour of Mata Hari
• Side Car: Created in 1923 by Franck Meier at the Ritz in Paris
• Margarita: Invented in 1948 by Margarita Sames
• Cosmopolitan: Created in 1990 in San Francisco at the Supper Club

As more slides was shown on the LCD screen, all of the media present was transported to the day, time and location where Cointreau was produced.

I absorbed as much as I could, mesmerized with the history, the culture and the century old tradition. We moved on to our first sip of Cointreau neat, followed by adding ice; which then the spirit became cloudy and the spirit was pronounceably thicker, almost syrupy with fresher notes.

For a more modern and “lighter” drink, the Cointreau Fizz might be more up your alley. This was as simple as 1/3 Cointreau + Lime + 2/3 soda water.

Though a short session, I was glad to have had a sneak peek into the Cointreau family and tradition as well as to have the honour to meet Alfred himself. As a gourmet, I believe in learning and absorbing as much as I can in all things concerning food and beverage. 🙂

I hope Alfred had a good trip to Malaysia and he will be back soon! Perhaps he could create a food and Cointreau pairing menu next?

We did adjourn for a good lunch at Strato, served with Cointreau cocktails. A semi-casual Italian restaurant, Strato specialized in pasta and pizzas but we had a sort of a set for lunch that day and wasn’t able to sample any Italian dishes. Still, the appetizer, the chicken (my choice of main) and the dessert were adeptly executed though not entirely memorable.

Strato @ Troika Sky Dining, Level 23A, Tower B, The Troika, 19, Persiaran KLCC, KL
Tel: 03 2162 0886