Grand Marnier

The Lapostolle distillery was founded outside Paris in 1827, and its most famous product was this combination of cognac and bigaradier oranges from Haiti. It was invented in 1876 by Lous-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle, dubbed Grand Marnier by the great hotelier César Ritz and became a Belle Époque sensation.

Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge (51% cognac and 49% orange liqueur) is the classic. They also produce a Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle, made with (82% Cognac and 18% orange liqueur), and various special cuvées, including the limited 150th anniversary Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire, made in 1977, with 50 year old cognacs and hand-painted bottles (the slogan: ‘Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive’).

It’s an essential ingredient in the classic crêpes Suzette, and often flavours a bûche de Noël and other desserts, and of course soufflé au Grand Marnier. Production moved to the Charente in 2012, and the company was purchased by Campari in 2016.