You’ve likely seen triple sec listed on cocktail and bar menus, or perhaps you’ve seen it called for in recipes when making cocktails at home. But what exactly is Triple Sec, and are there any substitutions for it? For more info, we spoke to cocktail expert and bartender Jackie Gentry.
What Is Triple Sec?
Triple sec is a category of orange flavoured liqueurs that originated in France.
Triple secs are used in a variety of classic cocktails including the Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Side Car, Mai Tai and Corpse Reviver #2. Tripe secs range in alcohol content from 20 to 40 percent Alcohol by Volume (ABV).
“Typically, triple secs are derived from sugar beet in which orange peels are steeped. The oranges used are harvested when their skin is still green and not fully ripened so the majority of the oils remain on the skin rather than the flesh of the fruit,” Gentry explains. “The spirit is then redistilled, mixed with more neutral spirit, water and powdered beet sugar. The name comes from the French word sec, which means dry, but this was simply a marketing technique as the liqueur is not distilled three times or thrice as dry as curacao or other liqueurs.”
Triple Sec vs Cointreau: What’s the Difference?
Cointreau is a type of triple sec but with a significantly higher alcohol content (40 percent ABV). “Cointreau’s flavours are well balanced between bitter and sweet, the warm spices give complexity but more than anything, enhance the orange flavour rather than masking it,” Gentry says. “Because of this and its high ABV, Cointreau is not as much of a sipper but excels at being used in cocktails.”
Cointreau vs Grand Marnier
“In comparison, Grand Marnier is a blend of Cognac and Triple Sec, having the same ABV but more suited as a sipper on its own but can also be too spiritous/brandy forward to use in some cocktails, like a sidecar, which Cointreau is more suited for,” Gentry says.
Substitutes for Triple Sec
You can easily substitute Cointreau or curacao for triple sec, but there’s a wide variety of possible substitutes. “One of my favourite substitutes for triple sec is Aperol; it’s a huge orange bomb like Cointreau,” Gentry says. “When substituting specifically for Cointreau though, it’s important to find the balance of your sugar and acid with its lower ABV level in comparison. Other substitutions I’m a huge fan of are Clement Creole Shrub, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, Tempus Fugit Gran Classico Bitter, Strega and Italicus.”
