Find out what you can use as a substitute for Grand Marnier in all your favorite cocktails and mixed drinks. Plus get some non-alcoholic Grand Marnier substitutes.
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If you love to mix up cocktails and mixed drinks at home, you may be wondering what you can use to substitute Grand Marnier if you’ve found yourself running out.
Or you may be curious how to substitute Grand Marnier in your baking or simply just looking for a non-alcoholic alternative to this ingredient for your favorite recipes.
In this post, we’re going to talk about what Grand Marnier is, what it’s used for, and what the best Grand Marnier substitutes are for cocktails, margaritas, baking, and for your non-alcoholic recipes.
Discover what your best options are for replacing Grand Marnier and find out which substitutes will give you the best and closest results in your recipes.
What is Grand Marnier?
Grand Marnier is an orange liqueur that is made in France. This type of drink isn’t a triple sec, but a cognac-based drink that’s mixed with a distilled essence of bitter orange and sugar.
Grand Marnier originated in Neauphle-le-Château, a city outside of Paris, in 1880.
Grand Marnier is used in many popular cocktails like margaritas, cosmopolitans, sidecars, and kamikaze drinks.
Read on: What is Grand Marnier?
What is Grand Marnier used for?
Grand Marnier is used mainly in mixed drinks and cocktails. With its signature orange flavor and cognac base, it is a perfect addition to margaritas, Cosmopolitans, sidecars, mimosas, and kamikaze drinks.
Many people also use Grand Marnier in their baking for cakes, souffles, brownies, cookies, and even added to marmalade. Anywhere in your baking that you might want to add some orange flavoring, you can use Grand Marnier instead.
What is the alcohol content in Grand Marnier?
Grand Marnier has a 40% ABV which is a similar amount to other orange flavored liqueurs, like Cointreau.
Best Grand Marnier substitutes
While Grand Marnier is its own unique drink, it can be substituted in many cocktails and drinks for another orange flavored liqueur.
The closest substitute would be Cointreau, however any triple sec or orange Curaçao will work to provide a similar orange flavor you may want to substitute in recipes.
Read on: Cointreau vs. Grand Marnier: What’s the difference?
Best Grand Marnier substitute for margaritas
The best substitute for Grand Marnier in margaritas is Cointreau. That’s because both of these liqueurs have a strong orange flavor, and their products are made in France.
Though the alcohol base of these liqueurs differ, one has cognac and the other a neutral alcohol base, you can easily substitute one for another in margaritas.
Best Grand Marnier substitute for baking
If you have a baked good recipe that calls for Grand Marnier and you just don’t have any around, you might consider substituting this ingredient for another orange liqueur, triple sec, Curaçao or Cointreau.
All of these have similar orange flavors, but a Curaçao will offer more sweetness, whereas Cointreau will give you more dryness to your finished dish.
Best Grand Marnier substitute for a budget
If you’re on a budget and Grand Marnier is a little outside your reach, your next best bet for mixing up drinks is Cointreau, followed by another triple sec brand.
These go in order of cost, but they also go in order of quality. If you can afford to get Cointreau, that will be your best option for a substitute for Grand Marnier in most mixed drinks and cocktails. Triple sec is your next option and there are a variety of brands at different price points to choose from.
Non-alcoholic Grand Marnier substitutes
If you can’t find Cointreau, a triple sec, or a Curaçao you like, or you simply are looking for a non-alcoholic substitute to Grand Marnier, here are a few options you might like to try for your recipes, mixed drinks, or mocktails.
Orange extract
Orange extract is a non-alcoholic substitute for Grand Marnier that you might decide to use if you’re only looking to substitute the flavor of Grand Marnier without the alcohol.
Buy the highest quality orange extract that you can afford since you usually get what you pay for when it comes to extracts. Use this swap for cocktails or other mixed drinks, as well as baking.
Orange juice or orange juice concentrate
Orange juice can be used to replace Grand Marnier, though it might be a last ditch effort to replace this ingredient.
If you’re simply looking for an orange flavor, this can work in baking recipes as well as mixed drinks or cocktails.
Keep in mind that orange juice isn’t the same as Grand Marnier, so the consistency and flavor will not mimic this orange liqueur. You’ll have a brighter yellow-orange color and a more vibrant orange flavor than what’s intended in a recipe calling for Grand Marnier.
If you’re baking and a recipe calls for Cointreau, you can substitute orange juice or orange juice concentrate to get an orange flavor without needing to buy or use a liqueur of any kind.
If you’ve been looking for an ingredient to substitute for Grand Marnier in your cocktails, mixed drinks or even your baking, I hope this information has been useful for you. There are a few great options for substituting Grand Marnier, but the best is probably Cointreau or another triple sec.