France's Greatest Achievement
Written: Nov 22 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Delicious, smooth and potent
Cons: Too sweet to get past a first glass
The Bottom Line: -
|
|
|
| carnut2k4's Full Review: Grand Marnier Liqueur - 375ml |
So what exactly has France done for the world lately? It was nice of them to lend us a hand in getting out from under the Union Jack way back when – although that debt’s been repaid in spades. And French cuisine is among my favorites. But aside from that I don’t often think of France when it comes to matters of culture. Jerry Lewis, LeCar, ten year old kids encouraged to start smoking, etc. But one glaring exception in a pool of misguided efforts is the sweet, sweet nectar of life known as Grand Marnier. Kudos France, this is your greatest achievement!
La Bouteille
You can pick out the Grand Marnier from across the liquor store. The brown glass bottle is short, round and squat. It’s shaped exactly the way Mrs. Butterworth would be shaped if she lived on nothing but her own pancake syrup. The paper labels are printed an old sepia tone color scheme with the barest minimum of words – it’s French and it’s 40 percent ABV. A red ribbon crosses under a red glob of sealing wax with the Grand Marnier crest embossed on it. Under a foil cap a reusable cork separates you from this liquid heaven.
Apparence
A warm, Dr Brown’s Cream Soda, type of brown is the best I can do to describe the color. I guess I should also point out the obvious and say that it is the same color as Cognac. Of course, that’s because it is Cognac – with essence of wild tropical oranges, to quote the bottle. This sticky sweet liqueur leaves a thick coating on the side of the glass as you drink it.
Le Nez
Use whatever glass you prefer to drink Cognac from. This is a liqueur that demands more respect than being confined to a little liqueur glass. Half the experience is swirling it around and taking in the aroma. The heat dances in your nostrils and the back of your throat. The thick and sweet orange smell is prevalent. You’ll know this is cognac after you dig past the orange notes.
Le Gout
He-he. It’s funny that the French word for taste is the English word for a nasty foot condition. Then again I think Dumb and Dumber is the greatest movie ever made. Anywho, on to the taste. Orange hits the tongue first and then a rush of heat assaults the back of the throat and the chest. The alcohol vapor may make your eyes tear a little bit. The syrupy sweet orange flavor stays around long after your sip. As it was with the smell, the cognac plays second fiddle in flavor too. Overwhelmingly, the two biggest impressions I get are alcohol and orange. I love this stuff.
Conseil
There are a lot of interesting ways to enjoy Grand Marnier. The bottle itself suggests drinking it on the rocks, in a Margarita or in a Cosmopolitan. The Awesomely Immortal one suggests a bunch of drinks with names that’ll make a truck driver blush. As with most liquors and liqueurs, I’ll have mine neat.
Grand Marnier leans towards the expensive side. I was lucky enough to find it on sale at my local liquor store, and at $29.99 for a 750 ml bottle it was a steal. Like me, most people who try it will be hooked from the first sip. I always have a bottle of this in the liquor cabinet and I predict you will too.
Got time for a great story? Go ahead and punch up the company’s website. Their history is interesting. The 1827 date on the bottle of Grand Marnier is misleading – it wasn’t developed until 1870. Also if you follow the story you may notice a frighteningly vertical family tree. The actual inventor of the stuff was the grand son in law of the founder of the company. Now I’m no genealogist but I’m pretty sure that the ‘in law’ designation should usually come with a different last name. That is not the case here. Yikes! Inbred or not, the Marnier is Grand indeed.
www.grand-marnier.com
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
carnut2k4
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Jason
Location: in the wind
Reviews written: 99
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.