# Grand Marnier vs. Cointreau

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grand-marnier-vs-cointreau/545571>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 5, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grand-marnier-vs-cointreau/545571 "2010-07-05T00:30:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sharding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grand-marnier-vs-cointreau/545571/1 "2010-07-05T00:30:02Z")

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I don’t drink much outside of beer and wine (wine is my main thing – I have a pretty decent cellar). But every once in a while I get in the mood for something else. I thought I had some Cointreau lingering in the back cabinet, but it turns out I was actually thinking of a bottle of Grand Marnier. The liquor store isn’t open today (state run liquor stores, official holiday), so I’m stuck with what I have.

Are the two somewhat interchangeable in cocktail recipes? It’s been years since I’ve had Cointreau, but from a quick sip of the Grand Marnier it seems sweeter than I remember Cointreau being. Is that accurate, or is my memory faulty?

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**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grand-marnier-vs-cointreau/545571/2 "2010-07-05T01:19:35Z")

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They’re reasonably interchangeable, particularly if the liquor store is closed. Grand Marnier is based more on cognac, so it has a “heavier” taste than Cointreau. In general, however, classic cocktails call for Cointreau since the flavor profile tends to pair better with other spirits.