Alfred Cointreau on his family

THE ORANGE LIQUEUR DEFYING THE AGES

Alfred Cointreau, Global Brand Heritage Manager, travels the world to meet with mixologists and share the story of his ancestors and the story of Cointreau. A prolific creator of cocktails, Alfred prefers them classic and beautiful because the first sip of a cocktail is with the eyes. Ben Davidson reports.

Alfred Cointreau is the 6th generation descendent of the Cointreau family business founded in 1849 by Edoaurd Cointreau. He was in Shanghai, on a recent tour of the Asia Pacific region that included stops through the East Coast of Australia. He attended the Cointreau Queen Cocktail Competition, now in its 6th year and created to support the bartender community, in particular female bartenders.

“The Competition is really connected to the history of Cointreau,” Alfred says. “Over a century later it is how we want to elevate the bartender, in particular the female bartenders.”

“When you look at the end of the 19th century when Cointreau was created, women had a very small place in society. They didn’t have jobs. They stayed at home and took care of the kids and the house, but my great-great-grandmother, Louisa, was very involved at the distillery and in the company and was active in creating social links with the employees and improving living conditions. She really created something special between the employees and the Cointreau family in those early days.”

Alfred explains that the original idea for Cointreau was to target a female market away from the whiskies and cognacs preferred by men and deliver a lower in alcohol alternative with a taste more appealing to the female palate. Founder, Edouard Cointreau wanted to speak to women through Cointreau.

Cointreau is inextricably linked to Angers, a town in the Loire Valley known for its gentle way of life. For the last four centuries, the Cointreau family has exercised their various traditional crafts and know-how as bakers and confectioners in the Anjou region.

“Angers is where my family has been based since the 16th century and we have always been born in Angers and we will stay there because it is like our ‘Appellation’ and we will keep only one distillery in the birthplace to stay true to the essence of Cointreau.”

In 1849, the first distillery was established on Rue Saint Laud under the name Cointreau Frères (Cointreau Brothers). They moved to the Quai des Luisettes, which later became Quai Gambetta, and it was in that secret world of stills and aromas that they built the reputation of the House.

For over 150 years, five generations have succeeded one another to lead La Maison Cointreau. The first generation gave the distillery its success. The following generation was one of discovery, innovation, and creation. TripleSec orange liqueur, or Cointreau liqueur, was developed by Édouard Cointreau in 1875.

“Edouard noticed consumer interest in the taste of oranges, which at the time was a very rare and precious commodity. He saw this universal flavour that was appealing to both men and women, and continuously experimented until he created the perfect blend of bitter and sweet orange peels. His passion gave birth to the original Triple-Sec that is known today as Cointreau,” Alfred explains.

This age of expansion continued with his two sons, Louis and André Cointreau, who broke down borders and opened the door to the United States in the 1920s, marking the signature Cointreau as a global brand. It wasn’t long before Edouard’s passion was shared with the world.

At the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, Cointreau would claim the first of many awards dedicated to the unconventional French spirit. On the company’s centenary in 1949, Pierre Cointreau, the fourth generation of the family, became CEO. Working with passion and fervour into his 90s, Pierre Cointreau made La Maison Cointreau what it is today. Driven by the values inherited from his grandfather Édouard, and his grandmother Louisa, Pierre instilled in everyone the importance of a job well done.

This is especially true of Alfred, his grandson and the sixth generation of the family, who joined Cointreau in 2010. From his grandfather, Cointreau retained the idea that the best path to success is humility and strict discipline together driving progress and evolution.

Although Cointreau has a grand and memorable history it is also very conscious of modern concerns such as responsibility and the need for premiumisation to remain relevant.

“Worldwide we are seeing Drink Responsibly messages as part of corporate social responsibility and I agree it’s better to drink less but drink better, which is very important for Cointreau because we are the creators of the original dry orange liqueur. I’m also seeing that people all over the world are more interested in what they drink and they would rather enjoy quality over quantity.”

“At Cointreau we recognise consumers want an experience when having drinks at the bar. They ask. Why this cocktail? Why this ingredient? Why did you choose this type of glass? Why this garnish? Also service ritual to deliver a more engaged experience at the bar (is important) so it’s not just something you drink (but) also everything that surrounds it. To be a bartender is like being the artist, where people come to see you display working flair.”

When asked about the Cointreau perfect serve, Alfred said, “It depends on the context. If I’m having a romantic dinner with my wife, I do not drink the same things as when I’m with my friends at a nightclub. So everything is a question of context. When it comes to classic cocktails the Margarita with Cointreau is something I really love. It’s a combination of Mexican culture with European culture, with refreshing acid and salt. I also enjoy a Sidecar in the cooler months with my brother and talk about life.

“The modern Spritz cocktail with prosecco is inspired by the original Spritz which was a combination of a white wine and sparkling water. History has shown that Cointreau is very versatile and it can be used along with wines in a Spritz. We also have a recipe from 1955 called the Cointreau Fizz, which is 50ml Cointreau, 20ml fresh lime, filled with ice and sparkling water, and we want to encourage the home consumption ritual where you can give it a twist with whatever you have in the kitchen to make your own personal Cointreau Fizz. What I really like to do is add a tea bag to my Fizz and get a subtle infusion; mint tea, chamomile, Earl Grey and even green tea works really well. Or with the addition of rosé wine during the summer is huge with the ladies in the South of France where the men drink Ricard and play petanque. It sounds cliché, but all along the villages and towns it’s true.”

TRADE ACTIVITY

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE BRANDS

PEPPERJACK HEROES THE SCENT OF SUMMER

In a groundbreaking campaign, Pepperjack Wines has stimulated the senses of 1.4 million commuters at major Melbourne train station, Southern Cross this summer. Passers by were encouraged to push two Innovate Panels to release a mouth-watering and all too familiar scent of a great Australian BBQ. The campaign supported the national in-store promotion where consumers could collect up to $100 to spend at Barbeques Galore when purchasing the Pepperjack Range. Pepperjack Shiraz has been Australia’s number one selling Shiraz in value for the past six years (Source: IRI AZTEC Liquor Value QTR 15/7/2018) and the campaign highlights the wine as a great match for steak. The fully integrated campaign featured across social, influencer, a national out–of-home program and in-store visibility.

ROBERT OATLEY WINES CELEBRATES A NEW MODERN AUSTRALIAN STYLE

Sandy Oatley, along with Chris Hancock MW, presented the wines from the Robert Oatley Signature Series at a trade event held in the newly opened space above the Hotel Centennial in Paddington, Sydney. The wines tasted showcased the Margaret River and McLaren Vale regions and included the National Wine Show of Australia 2018 trophy-winning Great Southern Riesling 2017, the new vintage release 2018 McLaren Vale Grenache, the trophy-winning McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Mouvedre 2016, McLaren Vale Shiraz 2017 and new vintage release Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 featured in James Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2018.

Chris Hancock MW said the Robert Oatley wines had evolved in style to accommodate the trends in food toward fresher and healthier eating. Consumers are looking for lighter and crisper styles and natural wines with less intervention. He said the two critical aspects of winemaking are viticulture and blending and suggested blended wine could be our future as the industry battles with ways to combat climate change. The wines tasted displayed an elegance and freshness that pointed to a new modern Australian wine style.

BARTENDERS BATTER UP WITH BACARDI

In a homage to the tradition of the first distillery workers at the Bacardi distillery in Santiago de Cuba who would finish a hard days work with a game of softball, Bacardi Australia stages the Annual Bartender Softball competition across Australia’s capital cities. It is an opportunity for bartenders to get together and enjoy friendly rivalry. For Melbourne and Perth matches contact: gmann@bacardi.com or lcanavan@bacardi.com

GABS HOTTEST 100 AUSSIE CRAFT BEER POLL

The results are in and the trends are Queensland craft beer is on the rise, independently owned breweries are enjoying increased popularity and ‘localism’ is a thing. In its eleventh year the Great Australian Beer Spectapular Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer poll is an important barometer for what are the key trends in brewing in Australia. The 2018 edition saw 31,000 beer lovers place 155,000 votes. The Gold Coast’s Balter claimed the title of Australia’s favourite craft beer for the second year with the XPA – Extra Pale Ale. Balter is owned by Joel Parkinson, Josh Kerr, Bede Durbidge and champion surfer, Mick Fanning, Balter’s IIPA – Double IPA and IPA – India Pale Ale were also voted in the top ten.