Torrontés (tore-on-TEZ)

Specialty of Argentina, where it can make beautifully aromatic, slightly viscous dry wines that are drunk as aperitifs. Yet torrontés is not a single variety, but three distinctly different ones all indigenous to Argentina: torrontés Mendocino (not highly thought of); torrontés Sanjuanino (also unexceptional, planted mostly in the province of San Juan); and torrontés Riojana (the most aromatic and highest quality torrontés, often grown in the high elevation vineyards of the province of Salta). DNA typing suggests that torrontés Riojana is a white skinned natural cross of muscat of Alexandria and the red grape mission (listán prieto), both of which had been brought to the Americas in the sixteenth century by Spanish missionaries and conquistadores. In Spain and Portugal, the name torrontés is used for several other distinctly different varieties, causing complete confusion.

Which flavor addition is found in all three of these liqueurs: Curaçao, Grand Marnier, and Triple Sec?

A. Hazelnut

B. Anise

C. Orange

D. Sour Cherry

These orange liqueurs appear in classic cocktails like the Margarita, Sidecar, Long Island Iced Tea, and Cosmopolitan—no respectable home bar should be without at least one. Liqueur is not the French spelling of “liquor” but a combination of a liquor (a distilled spirit such us vodka or brandy) with added sugar and flavorings. Curaçao was first made by Dutch settlers on the island of Curaçao in the 19th century. A traditionally rum-based liqueur, it ranges from 15-40% abv and is made with tropical oranges. Avoid cheap versions appearing in artificial orange, blue, and green hues—true Curaçao is clear. Grand Marnier was created in 1880 by Frenchman Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle from a mix of Cognac, distilled bitter orange essence, and sugar. At 40% abv, Grand Marnier is the incendiary ingredient in Crêpes Suzette, the quintessential French dessert made by dousing a crêpe, or buttery pancake, with it and flambéing briefly. Triple sec is a drier style of orange liqueur, whose name is thought to be a translation of the words “triple dry.” The drink was first released in 1875 and is made using a mix of sweet and bitter orange peels and sugar beet alcohol. Cointreau claims to be the world’s first triple sec producer and is 40% abv.

“Wine is one of the most civilized thing in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”

—Ernest Hemingway
Death in the Afternoon

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