How to pour
a triple sec in
Place the glass in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes, or fill it with ice and water while you prepare the rest. Triple sec is sweet, and a chilled glass keeps that sweetness in check. Pour out the ice water just before serving and wipe the rim dry.
Put two ice cubes in the glass. Large cubes melt more slowly and dilute the liqueur less quickly than crushed ice from an ice machine; with four centiliters in a small glass, the difference is easy to notice.
Pour four centiliters of triple sec over the ice. Measure it instead of pouring by eye: a small glass fills quickly, and you’ll taste the difference between three and five centiliters immediately in the sweetness.
Cut a strip of orange peel, squeeze it with the colored side facing the glass over the liqueur so the oil reaches the surface, and place it in the glass. Let the glass stand for a minute before drinking; the liqueur will then be evenly chilled.
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The story
Triple sec is a generic name, not a brand. It refers to a clear liqueur made from dried orange peel, from both bitter and sweet oranges, and any distiller may call it that. The older family it comes from is called curaçao: the collective name for orange liqueur made from dried peels, available in clear, orange, and blue varieties. Triple sec is the dry, clear branch within it. There are also bottles on the shelf that do something of their own. Cointreau is a clear triple sec with its own signature, while Grand Marnier is not triple sec but a liqueur based on cognac, which gives it a fuller, rounder character.
The right glass
When served neat, pour triple sec into a small stemmed glass, so four centiliters do not look lost in it and you can hold the glass by the stem. In cocktails, it plays a supporting role, and the cocktail determines the glass: a margarita goes in a wide bowl with room for a salted rim, while a cosmopolitan or a sidecar goes in a coupe. There is no glass sold specifically as a triple sec glass; the small bowls in the liqueur glasses category come closest, and for cocktails, look among the margarita glasses or, more broadly, the cocktail glasses.
Chef & Sommelier Spirits Cordinal Liqueur Glass 10 cl (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Cocktail Margarita Glass 30 cl (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 58,90.
The right tools
For a glass of triple sec, you use a jigger alongside the glass to measure the centiliters and, whenever lime or lemon is added, a cocktail shaker for shaking. For the salted rim of a margarita, add a glass rimmer. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Measure the pour that determines whether it is sweet or dry
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 65,85.
What does triple sec go with?
Triple sec is rarely served on its own. These are the bottles it is paired with in classic cocktails, from the tequila in a margarita to the cognac in a sidecar. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Blue curaçao is the same liqueur with coloring added: the same dried orange peel, only made blue, which is why a blue cocktail does not taste different from the same cocktail made with clear triple sec. There is also orange curaçao, which is usually a little fuller and sweeter than the clear variety. In a recipe, you can generally substitute any of the three without a problem, as long as you accept the change in color. Cointreau and Grand Marnier cannot simply be swapped: the former is clear and drier, while the latter is cognac-based and fuller-bodied. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Drink it neat, chilled and in a small serving: four centiliters in a chilled glass with two large ice cubes and a strip of orange peel. The bottle itself does not need to be refrigerated; at this strength, it serves no purpose, and when cold, a liqueur tends to become more syrupy. If you are mixing, have the jigger ready, because in a margarita or a sidecar, that one measure is what determines whether the whole drink turns out sweet or dry.
Good to know
What triple sec is made from
The flavor comes from dried orange peel, usually a blend of bitter and sweet orange. The peels are steeped in neutral alcohol and distilled, after which sugar is added. The result is clear, not orange: the color of orange liqueur in a bottle comes from coloring, not from the peel. Originally, it refers to a dry liqueur, and “sec” in the name refers to that.
Triple sec, curaçao, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier
Curaçao is the older, broader family: orange liqueur made from dried peels, available in clear, orange, and blue varieties. Triple sec is the dry, clear variety within that family, and it is a generic name that any distiller may use. Cointreau is a brand and a clear triple sec with its own distinctive character. Grand Marnier is not triple sec: it is a liqueur based on cognac, which makes it fuller and rounder. That distinction is exactly why recipes sometimes call for triple sec and other times name a brand.
How much alcohol it contains
It varies widely, roughly from 15 to 40 percent, depending on the brand. The cheaper bottles are often at the lower end of that range and the better-known brands at the higher end. That is more than a minor flavor detail: in a margarita or a sidecar, a bottle from the lower end of that range tastes noticeably sweeter and softer than one from the upper end. The percentage is always stated on the label.
Why almost every classic sour contains a splash of it
A sour is a combination of spirits, something sour, and something sweet. Triple sec does two things at once in that setup: it provides the sugar and the orange flavor, which pairs well with lime or lemon. That makes it the sweet component in the margarita with tequila, the cosmopolitan with vodka, the sidecar with cognac, and the white lady with gin. In a Long Island iced tea, it is the only liqueur among four types of spirits.
Blue curaçao is the same liqueur
Blue curaçao is orange liqueur made from dried peels with blue coloring added. There is little difference in taste from the clear variety, so a blue cocktail does not taste different from the same cocktail made with triple sec. It is therefore used mainly for its color. If you substitute one for the other in a recipe, pay attention to the alcohol percentage of both bottles.
Whether you drink it neat
You can, and in a small amount it is the best way to taste what is in the bottle: chilled, four centiliters, with two large cubes and a strip of peel squeezed over it. It does remain sweet, though, so many people prefer drinking it as part of a cocktail rather than as a drink on its own. As an after-dinner drink, it works best in a small glass, just like other liqueurs.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is triple sec?
A clear orange liqueur made from dried bitter and sweet orange peels steeped in alcohol and distilled, with sugar added. It is a category name, not a brand, so any distiller may call it that. The alcohol content ranges roughly from 15 to 40 percent, depending on the brand.
Is Cointreau the same as triple sec?
Cointreau is a brand and falls within the triple sec category: clear, made from orange peel, and dry in style. But not every triple sec is Cointreau. Brands differ in alcohol percentage, sweetness, and how much bitter orange they contain, so a recipe that calls for Cointreau will turn out slightly different with another bottle.
What is the difference between triple sec and Grand Marnier?
Triple sec is a clear liqueur based on neutral alcohol and orange peel. Grand Marnier is based on cognac, and you can taste that base: it is fuller and rounder, with an oaky character that a clear triple sec does not have. You can substitute one for the other in a sidecar or a margarita, but the drink will taste noticeably different.
Can you drink triple sec neat?
Yes. Pour four centiliters into a small, chilled glass with two large ice cubes and squeeze a strip of orange peel over it. It stays sweet, so it is more of a small-glass digestif than a drink to linger over. In practice, most bottles end up in cocktails.
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