Cointreau, the world’s finest orange liqueur, is steeped in family tradition, having retained the same incomparable recipe since the brand was founded over 150 years ago. And yet Cointreau also maintains its relevancy and trendiness with exciting cocktails that exude elegance and radiate with confidence, appealing to city women across the globe.
Alfred Cointreau, the 27-year old representative of the family and Heritage Manager of the brand, is more than just a name. Since the creation of the Cointreau distillery in 1849, the 6th generation and great-great-grandson of Édouard Cointreau has been driven by the same passion and obsession for perfection and remains committed to the unique character of the legendary spirit. As Heritage Manager, Alfred is responsible for communicating the love of a job well done to the brand’s key advocates, so that barmen throughout the world guarantee their customers the very best by always using Cointreau.
“I am very proud and honoured to be part of this beautiful legacy that has existed since 1849. Having my name in every Cointreau bottle produced and distributed around the world also represents for me a big motivation and a ‘positive pressure’ as I feel I need to deliver and contribute to the Cointreau history as much as I can,” said Alfred.
Founded in 1849 by Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau, the recipe is a perfect marriage between sweet and bitter orange peels resulting in a crystal clear spirit. Enjoyed by stylish urban women across the globe, Cointreau is sold in over 200 countries with 1 million Cointreau drinks consumed daily on average.
Alfred Cointreau, part of the 6th generation of a family dedicated to a legendary spirit. Alfred Cointreau is undoubtedly the most attached to his home town of Angers of all the Cointreau of his generation. Like his ancestors, he spent his childhood and teenage years in the French city, where he was born in 1986. He developed a close bond with his grandfather Pierre Cointreau from a very young age and would help make the family aperitifs, carefully prepared by his grandmother Elisabeth Cointreau, even before he was old enough to try them for himself. Like Margarita Sames, Elisabeth would make cocktails when she was entertaining friends and family at La Richardière and the Villa Janni in La Baule, their family homes, drawing on both her extensive know-how and remarkable creativity. Alfred would go on to inherit her abilities with a shaker and her passion for the world of cocktails.
His grandfather, with whom he shared some very special times, would teach him about the value of work and striving to do one’s best, as well as about humility and respect. It is not surprising, then, that when he joined the house of Cointreau, he worked in all the various departments in turn and played an active role in every stage of making the liqueur, as is the custom when a member of the family joins the distillery.
He shared the Master Distiller’s daily routine, learning to recognise each variety of orange peel and gaining expertise in the important task of selecting the very best among them. Next, he moved on to the stills room, where he took great pains to learn every last detail about distillation techniques. He then spent many months exploring the company archives: a chance to further his innate understanding of the long and distinguished history behind his family name, the fascinating world of cocktails and the liqueurs and spirits used to create them.
Since the creation of the Cointreau distillery in 1849, the 6th generation and great-great-grandson of Édouard Cointreau has been driven by the same passion and obsession for perfection and remains committed to the unique character of the legendary spirit. As Heritage Manager, Alfred is responsible for communicating the love of a job well done to the brand’s key advocates, so that barmen throughout the world guarantee their customers the very best by always using Cointreau.
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