Do you find yourself looking for a good quality triple sec to add to your home bar that works for all your favorite cocktails? Find out which are the best triple secs to make your drinks taste their very best.
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If you’re an avid home mixologist or just want to add the perfect triple sec to your bar, it makes sense that you’d look for the brand and product that would allow you to get consistent and delicious results with your favorite cocktails every time you make them.
If you’re like me, you want to add to your bar, but want to make sure that you are getting a good quality product that works well for the drink that you love to make.
There are so many different triple sec brands out there and options for orange liqueurs that it can be overwhelming to know where to start if you find yourself staring at a whole display in the liquor store.
This post will hopefully help you narrow down your options to just 10 of the best triple secs, so you don’t have to buy one of everything on the shelf to figure out what works well for your favorite drinks.
In this post, you’ll find out what triple sec is, what it’s used for, and the different types of triple sec. You’ll also get recommendations for the best triple sec in a number of different categories, like best overall triple sec, best triple sec for margaritas, best budget triple sec, and best triple sec for other popular cocktails that use this ingredient.
I hope this post helps you discover some new brands and make your choices easier next time you’re purchasing triple sec at the liquor store or grocery store.
What is Triple Sec?
Triple sec is an orange flavored liqueur that is sweet and clear. It’s used in many mixed drinks, and contains about 15 to 40 percent alcohol by volume.
Triple sec is made by infusing alcohol, generally made from beet sugar, with the peels from bitter not-quite-ripened orange peels during the maceration process.
The orange flavor comes from the essential oils that come out while the oranges and the alcohol combine for a few days. The liqueur is then distilled, and may be completed there or more beet sugar, water, or alcohol may be added.
Read on: What is triple sec?
What is Triple Sec used for?
Triple sec offers a unique orange flavor to many cocktails and mixed drinks. Most triple secs are slightly sweet, though some are more sweet than others.
Triple sec is used in a variety of popular cocktails like these drinks you’re likely to find at many bars and restaurants:
- Margarita
- Cosmopolitan
- Kamikaze
- Man o’War
- Bourbonella
- Velvet Hammer
- Cable Car
- Orange Martini
Types of Triple Sec
There are three main types of triple sec that you’ve likely heard about as you’ve been shopping for this drink, or seen these on drink menus at bars or restaurants.
Triple sec
Triple sec is any clear orange flavored liqueur that includes brand name options, like Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
Triple sec is often a term that is used to describe a lower quality orange liqueur than a name brand one, because it is easier to produce since it can be done anywhere with just about any orange peels.
Since this is the case, you can find a number of triple sec brands on the liquor store shelf that are quite inexpensive and are less quality than some of the name brand orange liqueurs available.
A generic triple sec can have an orange flavor, but it is much less nuanced in complexity. It tastes like a sweet citrusy liqueur, without many variations in flavor. You can find triple secs with a range of ABV values of 15 to 30%.
Read on: Cointreau vs. Triple Sec: The Similarities & Differences
Cointreau
Cointreau is a specific brand that is made in France, and has a unique blend of sweet and bitter orange peels that are native to the terroir where they are grown. Cointreau can’t be replicated by another brand, because the terroir and the way they make their liqueur is unique to their company.
Because Cointreau is unique to the way they make it and ingredients that are used, it is more expensive than other triple secs you can find on the market.
Cointreau tastes both bitter and sweet with a clean finish. This brand of orange liqueur has about 40% ABV, or alcohol by volume.
Read on: What is Cointreau?
Grand Marnier
Grand Marnier is a specific brand of orange liqueur that isn’t necessarily a triple sec, but is made using triple sec.
Where most triple secs are made with a neutral alcohol, Grand Marnier uses cognac and triple sec. The addition of cognac is what makes the unique distinction between Grand Marnier and other triple sec brands.
That said, Grand Marnier can easily be used like many other triple secs and orange liqueurs, because of the orange flavor. Grand Marnier has a more nuanced flavor and generally costs a bit more than other brands of triple sec or Cointreau.
Read on: What is Grand Marnier?
Best Overall Triple Sec
Cointreau
Region: Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou, France
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 40%
Best Triple Sec for Margaritas
Patron Citronage Orange Liqueur
Region: Jalisco, Mexico
Type of Alcohol: tequila-based orange liqueur
ABV: 40%
Best Budget Triple Sec
Luxardo Triplum Orange Dry Triple Sec
Region: Italy
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 39%
Best Triple Sec for Cosmopolitans
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
Region: France
Type of Alcohol: Curaçao
ABV: 40%
Best Orange Liqueur
Grand Marnier
Region: Cognac, France
Type of Alcohol: cognac-based orange liqueur
ABV: 40%
Best Triple Sec for Sipping
Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
Region: Italy
Type of Alcohol: orange liqueur
ABV: 40%
Read on: What is Solerno?
Best Triple Sec for Sidecars
Drillaud Orange Liqueur
Region: France
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 35%
Best Triple Sec for Kamikazes
Hiram Walker Triple Sec
Region: United States
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 15%
Best Triple Sec for Long Island Iced Teas
Combier Liqueur d’Orange
Region: Saumur, France
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 40%
Best Triple Sec for Beachcombers
Bols Triple Sec
Region: Netherlands
Type of Alcohol: triple sec
ABV: 21%
Read on: 25 Best Orange Liqueur Brands to Try
If you love adding triple sec to your homemade mixed drinks and have been wondering what brands to buy, I hope this post has given you some ideas of brands to pick up next time you’re at the store. These are my top picks, but you might want to do your own taste testing to discover what your favorite brands are for these various drinks.