Find out the triple sec brands that are available to buy at liquor stores, what makes a good triple sec, and how to choose one that works for you.
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If you enjoy adding triple sec to your favorite cocktails and mixed drinks, you have probably seen on the aisles at the liquor store the vast options to choose from for this orange flavored liqueur. I can get really overwhelmed when it comes to choosing the best option for my needs when I see shelves upon shelves of bottles and no context.
That’s why in this post, I’m going to share some information about what makes a good triple sec and a few different ways to choose a triple sec, so you can get the right bottle for you and your drinks next time you’re at the store.
Though there are many to choose from, I hope this post gives you a little context into what to look for and what’s important to you to mix up your next batch of margaritas, sidecars, or kamikaze drinks.
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 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
What makes a good triple sec?
Depending on what’s important to you, there may be a number of different things that make a good triple sec liqueur. Here are some things to consider before you take a trip down the liqueur aisle at the local liquor store: sweetness, amount of alcohol (ABV), and orange flavor.
There’s a huge range in sweetness in triple secs offered, but the best ones aren’t too sweet at all. The very best triple secs have an orange flavor, but not an overwhelming amount of sweetness. These are great to add to mixed drinks and cocktails that you know won’t have way too much sugar as the end result.
The amount of alcohol in a triple sec can vary, so you may want to decide if you want a triple sec liqueur that’s higher or lower in alcohol depending on what other ingredients you add to it. The trend seems to be that the sweeter the triple sec, the lower the alcohol content. The higher the alcohol content options seem to be the higher end and higher quality triple secs on the market.
Orange flavor can vary through different brands of triple sec. Some are very overtly orange flavored that taste more artificially orange than the real fruit. Others have a subtle orange flavor that is more bitter than sweet that comes from the orange peels that are used to give this liqueur its flavor. Many folks will agree that the more bitter and subtle flavored triple secs outweigh the over the top orange syrupy flavor.
Read on: Is triple sec alcoholic?
Ways you can choose triple sec
You can choose a triple sec based on a number of different factors, none of which are right or wrong. Determining a triple sec that works for you and what you’re looking for will vary based on what’s important to you.
Here are the three most common ways to choose a triple sec (or any other alcohol for that matter):
Quality
Triple sec liqueurs can range in quality by quite a bit. You can buy higher end triple secs that have been made with one specific type of bitter orange peels that are grown in only one region in France, Italy, or other location.
These triple secs are usually more difficult to produce and care and attention is given to the quality at every step along the process of making this liqueur. The exclusivity of these higher end brands makes for a higher price tag.
On the other end, you have some triple sec brands that are extremely sweet, almost comically bold orange flavored syrups that are easy to produce, because there is no real attention given to nuanced flavors or delicate balances of ingredients.
These triple secs are often made with just about any orange peels or maybe none at all, and simply artificial orange flavoring. Again, this is often made up for in the price.
You can choose the level of quality you’re interested in for your drinks when you make a choice for what triple sec to buy at the liquor store. There’s a vast range of triple sec liqueurs between these two extremes as well, so you can opt for choosing one right in the middle as well.
Price
You may be on a budget with stocking your home bar or simply only buying ingredients for specific drinks when you want to make them.
Triple sec can range in price from less than $10 a bottle to over $40. There are a number of factors that can impact the price of triple sec, like the quality of ingredients, proprietary ingredients, the level of detail in filtering and processing the alcohol, and the marketing that goes into a specific product.
Generally, there will always be a lower end triple sec, a higher end triple sec, and a huge range in between the two. If you care about keeping your liqueurs and alcoholic drinks on the low end, there is something for you. If you feel like every drink you mix up should be the highest quality and full of nuanced flavors, there is something for you too.
Choose what price point you’re comfortable with spending and look for options in that range. For the most part, the higher the price, the better quality of triple sec you’ll find. But there are plenty of decent low to medium quality triple sec brands out there that are worth buying too.
I go into all the details on how triple sec is priced in this blog post: How much does triple sec cost?
Function
Knowing the function of the triple sec in your home bar or what specific drinks you plan to mix triple sec with will help you determine what to pick up from the liquor store.
If you plan to make a cocktail that’s full of many flavors, the orange of the triple sec only being one, maybe you care less about nuanced flavors of a higher end liqueur and more about the orange sweetness coming through. Maybe you like the sweet orange flavor added to your favorite margarita, so a lower priced triple sec will work great for your uses.
Or if you know that your mixed drink is made with only two ingredients, you’ll know that both of them will need to be excellent so that the drink is just as good as what you put in them. You’ll be able to taste both ingredients fully, so you’ll want to know the flavor is just right. This might get you to opt for a higher end and higher priced triple sec to keep stocked.
Knowing what drinks you will use the triple sec in and how you plan to serve them will help you determine which brand of triple sec you pick up and keep on hand.
There’s no one “best” triple sec option out there, so determine what is most important to you to help you make decisions around which to buy. Is it quality, price, or function? Choose based on these three factors and you’ll hopefully wind up with a great triple sec that works for you and your favorite drinks.
Triple sec brands
There are so many triple sec brands to choose from. I hope by giving you a list of what options there are, you can easily get some ideas as to which ones will work best for you next time you’re stocking up your home bar.
Allen’s Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Aristocrat Liqueur Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Arrow Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Bancroft Triple Sec
ABV: 30%, Region: United States
Bols Triple Sec
ABV: 21%, Region: Netherlands
Boulaine Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Cardinal Spirits Valencia Triple Sec
ABV: 40%, Region: United States
Charles Regnier Triple Sec
ABV: 30%, Region: United States
Cheshire Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Cointreau
ABV: 40%, Region: Saint-Barthélemy-d’Anjou, France
Combier Liqueur d’Orange
ABV: 40%, Region: Saumur, France
Conciere Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Coulsons Triple Sec Liqueur
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Deauville Triple Sec
ABV: 13.8%, Region: United States
Dekuyper Triple Sec
ABV: 24%, Region: United States
Doc Well’s Triple Sec
ABV: 13.75%, Region: United States
Draper’s Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Drillaud Orange Liqueur
ABV: 35%, Region: France
DuBouchet Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Finest Call Triple Sec 1%
ABV: 1%, Region: United States
Giffard Parfait Triple Sec
ABV: 35%, Region: France
Gionelli Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Hiram Walker Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Jacquins Triple Sec
ABV: 17.5%, Region: United States
Joseph Cartron Triple Sec
ABV: 40%, Region: France
Juarez Triple Sec
ABV: 30%, Region: Mexico
Kavlana Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Kozuba & Sons Triple Sec
ABV: 37%, Region: United States
Lazzaroni Triplo Triple Sec Orange Liqueur
ABV: 38%, Region: United States
Leroux Triple Sec Liqueur
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Llord’s Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Luxardo Triplo
ABV: 39%, Region: Italy
Luxardo Triplum Orange Dry Triple Sec
ABV: 39%, Region: Italy
Marie Brizard Liqueur Triple Sec
ABV: 39.5%, Region: United States
McCormick Triple Sec
ABV: 11.5%, Region: United States
McGuinness Triple Sec
ABV: 22%, Region: Canada
Meaghers Triple Sec
ABV: 35%, Region: Canada
Mr Boston Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Mr Stacks Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Paisley & Sage Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Pepe Lopez Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: Mexico
Potters Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Recipe 21 Triple Sec
ABV: 13.75%, Region: United States
Rose’s Triple Sec
ABV: 35%, Region: United States
Rosita Triple Sec
ABV: 12.5%, Region: Mexico
S.S. Pierce Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Short Path Distillery Triple Sec
ABV: 20%, Region: United States
Stirrings Triple Sec
ABV: 30%, Region: United States
Torada Triple Sec 30 Proof
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Vita Divine Triple Sec
ABV: 15%, Region: United States
Read on: The 10 Best Triple Secs in 2022
Honorable mentions
Grand Marnier
Though Grand Marnier and triple sec both have a characteristic orange flavor, Grand Marnier is not technically a triple sec but actually a triple sec/curacao hybrid.
Triple sec is made with alcohol that comes from beet sugar and is infused with bitter orange peels, whereas Grand Marnier is made using a blend of both cognac and a bitter orange liqueur.
Read on: Is Grand Marnier triple sec?
Read on: The 10 Best Triple Secs in 2022
If you’ve been looking for a list of triple sec brands, know that this isn’t complete or exhaustive. With 50 different brands to choose from and look into, I hope this has given you an idea as to the range of offerings there are. Be sure to determine what you’re looking for based on price point, quality, and function to help you make a decision about what you to buy next.