Cocktails

A popular cocktail for Cointreau is known as the Wolverhampton Wonder, made from either a single or double measure of Cointreau and blackcurrant cordial. It is called this due to the orange taste and the blackcurrant, in reference to Wolverhampton Wanderers football teams' kit of orange and black. The cocktail was created in an Eastbourne pub called The Cavalier, but has spread in popularity to the Midlands where the name was coined.
Another simple yet popular cocktail is known as a Scoundrel, and consists of one measure of Cointreau, a splash of Coke and a single cube of ice. More ice detracts from the flavor, making it a 'fake scoundrel'. The cocktail was created at the award winning Rook and Gaskill pub in York.
Cointreau has also become very popular in premium Margaritas, often known as "Gold Margaritas". Cointreau replaces the Triple sec in the standard Margarita recipe and adds a more intense orange flavour.

Production

Cointreau Distillery was set up in 1849 by Adolphe Cointreau, a confectioner, and his brother Edouard-Jean Cointreau from Angers. Their first success was with the cherry liqueur, guignolet, but it was when they concocted a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels and pure alcohol from sugar beets that the success of the enterprise was confirmed definitively. In 1875, the first bottles of Cointreau were sold. It is now estimated that thirteen million bottles are sold each year, in more than 200 countries. 95% of production is exported.
The production methods and recipe are a family secret, but tours of the distillery are open to the public. Photography is restricted in many areas to protect the production process from being copied.
In early 2008, burlesque entertainer Dita Von Teese became the new face of Cointreau's "Be Cointreauversial" advertising and marketing campaign, an arrangement slated to continue through 2010