Curaçao Liqueurs Information
Curaçao crème or liqueur is a specialty product - traditionally made by geist distillation of the bitter Curaçao orange. The orange is grown on the island of the same name in the Netherlands Antilles. It is the single most encountered sweetened spirit in the history of mixology.
The formal name of the Curaçao orange is Citrus x aurantium var. Curassuviensis [that last Latin word meaning 'of Curaçao']. The Curaçao orange is a variety of the Citrus x aurantium - otherwise known as the Seville orange. The much drier climate on the island of Curaçao is the cause of the difference between the Seville orange and the Curaçao orange.
Some have asserted that the Curaçao orange is of Valencia orange (Citrus x sinensis) stock instead of Seville orange (Cirtus x aurantium) stock. However, simple scholarship and chronology disprove that.
Curaçao crème or liqueur was not historically produced on the island. Senior Curaçao was the first Curaçao liqueur commercially produced there in the late 1940's. Curaçao crème or liqueur was first commercially produced in the Netherlands just after 1800 by geist distillation of dried Curaçao orange peels shipped there from Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles. That produced by Amsterdam's Wynand Fockink distillery was highly reputed. The bulk of high-quality Curaçao crème or liqueur bottlings, however, have been produced in France.
There is noteworthy distinction between Curaçao crème or liqueur and orange-flavored brandy liqueur. Orange-flavored brandy liqueur (such as Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge and Ferrand's regrettably-named 'Dry Curaçao'). Orange-flavored brandy liqueur is usually made by blending Curaçao geist spirit with brandywine and then sweetening it.
It is important to understand the the following French terms as they relate to Curaçao liqueur:
- Curaçao d’Hollande
Curaçao crème or liqueur was first made in the Netherlands using the same geist distillation method so common there for producing genever, but using dried Curaçao orange peel from the island of the same name in the Netherlands Antilles. The liqueur became popular in France, and began to be produced there in greater amounts than in the Netherlands. In France, the original product of the Netherlands was long preferred and Curaçao d’Hollande was the French labeling name for it. Over time, distillers in the Netherlands would adopt French grades and terminology for their own products. - Curaçao Surfin
Curaçao crème or liqueur properly distilled from bitter orange peel macerated in a spirit (rather than just compounded with it) is referred to as Curaçao surfin. There are multiple French grades each of crème de Curaçao and liqueur de Curaçao. Any grade of any type of Curaçao crème or liqueur may be colored, or not. The French color-indicating terms are: blanc (un-colored); pale (very light orange tint); orange (orange); brun (brown); rouge (red); bleu (blue). - Crème de Curaçao or Curaçao Doux
Crème de Curaçao, also known as Curaçao doux, is the most rich and bitter of all Curaçao-style cremes and liqueurs. It should contain at least 250 grams of sugar per liter and have commensurate intensity of flavor. - Crème de Curaçao (single-orange)
Single-orange crème de Curaçao contains no non-bitter orange peel and is profoundly rich and noticeably bitter along with being very sweet. One examble is Briottet Curaçao Orange Liqueur [sic] (specifically the 25% alcohol version). - Crème de Curaçao, Double-Orange
Double-orange crème de Curaçao is made using two sources for orange flavor. This usually signified reduced Curaçao orange peel content in the geist-bill, made up by that of the common, sweet orange. Double-orange crème de Curaçao would be less bitter and less flavorful than single-orange crème de Curaçao. It is no longer commercially produced. Fockink and Cusenier historically produced products of the double-orange grade. - Crème de Curaçao, Triple-Orange
Triple-orange crème de Curaçao is made using three sources for orange flavor. This usually signifies reduced bitter orange peel content in the geist-bill, made up by that of the common, sweet orange. In addition, essential oil of, or hydrosol of, common orange peel is added to the distillate to increase the aroma to make up for reduced flavor. Though being more aromatic, triple-orange Curaçao liqueur is less rich than single-orange crème de Curaçao. The historically-famous example of this type is Curaçao Marnier. The modern name for that product has been Grand Marnier Cordon Jaune (yellow cord, not red) for decades, but is now regrettably labelled as “triple sec.” - Liqueur de Curaçao or Curaçao Sec
Liqueur de Curaçao is sweetened less than crème de Curaçao. It may be produced without introducing non-bitter orange peel into the geist-bill, but most commonly will include such an ingredient. Sec Curaçao liqueur should contain fewer than 250 grams of sugar per liter. Sec in French means ‘dry’ and any product labelled as such indicates lesser sweetness and richness than a crème. - Liqueur de Curaçao, Sec (single-orange)
Sec liqueur de Curaçao is typically a single-orange product. Not containing common orange peel in the geist-bill, it tends to have noticeable bitter flavor since it is sweetened below the 250 grams-per-liter threshold. Examples of this type are Briottet Curaçao Orange Liqueur (specifically the 35% alcohol version) and Senior Curaçao of Curaçao (now regrettably labelled “triple-sec”). - Liqueur de Curaçao, Triple-Sec
Triple-sec liqueur de Curaçao is that which is both triple-orange and sec. Triple-sec Curaçao liqeur is both less-sweet and less flavorful than most other grades of Curaçao crèmes and liqueurs. Many French producers continue to supply good-to-excellent triple-sec liqueur de Curaçao. They include Boudier, Briottet, Brizzard, Cartron, Giffard and Vedrenne. Also of the triple-sec grade of liqueur de Curaçao is Luxardo’s good Triplum from Italy. - Liqueur de Curaçao, Extra-Sec
Extra-sec liqueur de Curaçao is essentially the same as the triple-sec grade, but with even less sugar and balanced by using an even less-flavorful and less-bitter geist-bill. It is the least flavorful and least-sweet grade of Curaçao crèmes and liqueurs. Cusenier’s extra-sec Curaçao was well-known in the 1930’s. Cointreau seems to have followed their lead in transforming their famous liqueur from triple-sec to extra-sec. Cointreau is now the only widely-available brand of extra-sec liqueur de Curaçao.
