Cointreau (pronounced [kwan'-tro]) is a brand of triple sec liqueur, and produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, a suburb of Angers, France. Cointreau sources its oranges from all over the world, usually Spain, Brazil and Haïti. In addition to being drunk as an apéritif, Cointreau is also commonly used as a digestif. Cointreau is considered to be either a premium brand triple sec or a unique category of liqueur. With a 40% alcohol content, Cointreau is strong for a triple sec which usually have an alcohol content around 23%.

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.

Rémy Cointreau experienced controversy over the actions of Guacimal, a company to which it subcontracts its orange picking in Haiti and owns a minority interest. Campaigners claimed that Guacimal refused to enter into meaningful agreements with the legally registered workers’ unions. Furthermore there were reports that representatives of Guacimal's management violently threatened and attacked union members. Rémy Cointreau publicly stated its intention to have local laws and customs respected wherever it conducts its business, and the above actions are illegal in Haiti. It is not known precisely whether the situation has been resolved, though this may be partly due to the unrest in Haiti in 2004. There are no reports relating to Guacimal's intimidation since 2002.

The earliest citation for a cocktail recipe that is comprised of Tequila, Cointreau (i.e. Triple Sec), and lime juice is from 1937, and was listed in the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book, by W. J. Tarling; And the recipe is stated as follows:

Picador.

1/2 Tequila

1/4 Cointreau

1/4 Lime Juice

Shake with Ice; Cocktail Glass.

Note: The Cafe Royal Cocktail Book also lists a drink called a Toreador, which is the same proportions as the Picador, but it substitutes the Cointreau for Apricot Brandy.

Even though the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book is a publication of the UKBG (United Kingdom Bartenders Guild), it is not a cause for national pride on the part of the British Cocktail Contingent? Unfortunately, the above libation is not the drink that would became famous as the Margarita, even though it is exactlt the same recipe. What we are looking for is an American drink, made on American or Mexican soil, with the same ingredients, but which is less refined than its British counterpart. Please note that there is nothing to say that someone didn't read the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book and then just renamed the drink.