✔ Updated · 37 Cointreau cocktails with per-drink measurements, best mixers and a mocktail
Cointreau is a clear French orange liqueur in the triple sec style, made from sweet and bitter orange peels. It is bright, dry-ish and strongly orange, which is why it turns up in so many classic sours.
The best Cointreau cocktails are the margarita (tequila, Cointreau and lime), the sidecar (cognac, Cointreau and lemon), the cosmopolitan (citrus vodka, Cointreau, lime and cranberry), the lemon drop, the White Lady and the mai tai. The simplest way to drink Cointreau is the Cointreau fizz: 2 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lime juice and soda water over ice.
- Cointreau is an orange liqueur at 40% ABV (80 proof), as strong as most spirits.
- Best mixers: fresh lime or lemon juice, soda water, tonic, cranberry, orange juice, ginger beer and sparkling wine.
- Measurements below are per drink; 1 oz is 2 tablespoons (30 ml).
These 37 Cointreau cocktails are grouped by base spirit, and every card gives the measurements for one drink, so you can make a single cocktail or scale it up. Cointreau is 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), the same strength as most vodka or tequila, so every drink here contains alcohol and is for adults of legal drinking age only (21 and over in the US). There is also an alcohol-free orange fizz at the end for anyone not drinking.
Cointreau Margaritas (Tequila)
The margarita is the best-known Cointreau cocktail, and the orange liqueur is what gives it its rounded, slightly sweet citrus flavor. Use 100% agave blanco tequila and fresh lime juice; bottled sour mix makes the drink too sweet. A classic Cointreau margarita is my own summer go-to.
1. Classic Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice. Shake hard with ice and strain over fresh ice into a salt-rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Get the recipe →
2. Watermelon Margarita
1 1/2 oz blanco tequila, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 2 oz fresh watermelon juice, 3/4 oz lime juice. Shake with ice and strain over ice, or blend with 1 cup ice for a frozen version.
Get the recipe →3. Cadillac Margarita
1 1/2 oz reposado tequila, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz agave syrup. Shake, strain over ice, then float 1/2 oz cognac-based orange liqueur on top.
4. Frozen Coconut Margarita
1 1/2 oz blanco tequila, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 2 oz cream of coconut, 1 oz lime juice. Blend with 1 cup ice until smooth and serve with a toasted coconut rim.
5. Cucumber Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz agave syrup, 3 cucumber slices. Muddle the cucumber, shake with ice and double strain over ice.
6. Spicy Jalapeño Margarita
2 oz blanco tequila, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz agave syrup, 2 thin jalapeño slices. Muddle, shake with ice and strain into a chili-salt-rimmed glass.
7. Grapefruit Margarita (Pink Señorita)
1 1/2 oz blanco tequila, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz lime juice. Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice with a salt rim.
Vodka and Liqueur Cocktails With Cointreau
Vodka lets the orange flavor of Cointreau take the lead. These are all shaken and served straight up in a chilled coupe or martini glass.
8. Cosmopolitan
1 1/2 oz citrus vodka, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz cranberry juice cocktail. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an orange peel.
9. Lemon Drop Martini
2 oz vodka, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass with a lemon twist.
10. Pomegranate Martini
1 1/2 oz vodka, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1 1/2 oz unsweetened pomegranate juice, 1/2 oz lime juice. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled glass and float a few pomegranate seeds.
11. Rosebud
1 1/2 oz vodka, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz simple syrup, 2 cucumber slices, 2 drops rosewater. Muddle the cucumber, shake everything with ice and double strain.
12. Kamikaze
1 1/2 oz vodka, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh lime juice. Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe, or split into small shot glasses.
13. Japanese Slipper
1 oz melon liqueur, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a thin slice of honeydew melon.
Gin and Brandy Classics
These are the sours and sparkling classics that made Cointreau a bar staple. The sidecar and White Lady are close cousins: swap cognac for gin and you have moved from one to the other.
14. Sidecar
2 oz cognac or brandy, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe, with a sugar rim if you like it a little sweeter.
15. White Lady
1 1/2 oz gin, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz lemon juice, optional 1/2 oz pasteurized egg white. Shake without ice for foam, then with ice; strain into a coupe.
16. French 75 With Cointreau
1 oz gin, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1/4 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice, strain into a flute and top with 3 oz chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine.
Get the recipe →17. Kiss the Ring
1 oz gin, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh blood orange juice. Shake with ice, strain into a flute and top with 2 oz chilled prosecco. Deep red-orange and lightly bitter.
18. Corpse Reviver No. 2
3/4 oz each gin, Cointreau, Lillet-style white aperitif wine and lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a coupe rinsed with a few drops of absinthe.
19. Singapore Sling
1 1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz cherry liqueur, 1/4 oz Cointreau, 1/4 oz Bénédictine, 3 oz pineapple juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/4 oz grenadine, dash bitters. Shake; serve over ice.
20. Pegu Club
2 oz gin, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, 1 dash aromatic bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
21. Breakfast Martini
1 3/4 oz gin, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1 heaping teaspoon orange marmalade. Shake hard with ice, double strain into a coupe and add an orange peel.
22. Maiden's Prayer
1 1/2 oz gin, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz fresh orange juice, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe with an orange twist.
23. Brandy Crusta
2 oz cognac, 1/4 oz Cointreau, 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1 dash bitters. Shake and strain into a sugar-rimmed glass lined with a long lemon peel.
Sparkling, Spritz and Long Drinks
A small splash of Cointreau adds depth to bubbly drinks without making them much sweeter. Chill every ingredient first, because you don't shake drinks that are topped with sparkling wine.
24. Cointreau Fizz
2 oz Cointreau, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, 3 oz chilled club soda. Build over ice in a highball glass, stir once and garnish with a lime wedge. The simplest Cointreau drink.
25. Cointreau and Tonic
1 1/2 oz Cointreau, 4 oz chilled tonic water, a squeeze of lime. Build over ice in a highball or large wine glass and stir gently. Drier than the fizz.
26. Cointreau Spritz
1 1/2 oz Cointreau, 3 oz chilled prosecco, 1 oz club soda, 1 oz fresh orange juice. Build over ice in a wine glass and garnish with an orange slice.
27. Cointreau Mimosa
1/2 oz Cointreau, 2 oz chilled fresh orange juice, 3 oz chilled dry sparkling wine. Pour the Cointreau and juice into a flute, then top slowly with the bubbly.
Get the recipe →28. Orange Pomegranate Prosecco
1/2 oz Cointreau, 1 oz pomegranate juice, 4 oz chilled prosecco. Build in a flute and drop in a few pomegranate seeds and a thin orange slice.
29. Red Sangria With Cointreau
Per glass: 4 oz dry red wine, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz brandy, 1 oz orange juice and chopped orange and apple. For a pitcher, multiply by 6 and chill 2 hours.
30. Lynchburg Lemonade
1 oz Tennessee whiskey, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 4 oz lemon-lime soda. Build over ice in a tall glass, stir and add a lemon wheel.
Get the recipe →Rum, Whiskey and After-Dinner Drinks
Rum and orange liqueur are a natural match, and Cointreau also brightens up a warm coffee nightcap. Several of these contain two or more spirits, so they are much stronger than they taste: a Long Island iced tea holds about 1.7 US standard drinks.
31. Mai Tai
1 oz aged Jamaican rum, 1 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz orgeat. Shake with ice, pour over crushed ice and garnish with mint.
Get the recipe →32. R.B. Ginger
1 1/2 oz dark rum, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz lime juice, 3 thin slices fresh ginger. Muddle the ginger, shake with ice, strain over ice and top with 3 oz ginger beer.
33. Between the Sheets
1 oz white rum, 1 oz cognac, 1 oz Cointreau, 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Strong, with three spirits in one glass.
34. Cable Car
1 1/2 oz spiced rum, 3/4 oz Cointreau, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a coupe rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
35. Test Pilot
1 1/2 oz dark rum, 3/4 oz light rum, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 1/2 oz falernum, 1/2 oz lime juice, dash bitters. Blend briefly with crushed ice and pour into a rocks glass.
36. Long Island Iced Tea
1/2 oz each vodka, gin, white rum, blanco tequila and Cointreau, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup. Shake, strain over ice and top with 1 oz cola.
37. Cointreau French Coffee
1 oz coffee liqueur, 1/2 oz Cointreau, 5 oz hot brewed coffee. Stir in a warmed mug, top with lightly whipped cream and a strip of orange zest.
Best Way to Drink Cointreau (and the Best Mixers)
Cointreau is easy to enjoy without a full cocktail. Its orange flavor is strong, so a little citrus and something fizzy is often all it needs. I like it with soda water and a squeeze of lime.
- On the rocks: 1 1/2 oz Cointreau over a large ice cube with a strip of orange peel, sipped slowly as an after-dinner drink.
- With soda water: the Cointreau fizz above, the most popular simple serve.
- With tonic: the Cointreau and tonic above, a drier, slightly bitter long drink.
- Best mixers: fresh lime and lemon juice, club soda, tonic, cranberry juice, orange or blood orange juice, ginger beer and dry sparkling wine.
- Best spirits to pair: tequila, vodka, gin, cognac or brandy and aged rum.
- In desserts: a tablespoon in whipped cream, fruit salad or a chocolate sauce adds orange flavor; it isn't alcohol-free unless it is cooked for a long time.
Cointreau vs Triple Sec vs Grand Marnier
Cointreau is a brand of triple sec, a clear orange liqueur. Other triple secs work in every drink on this list, but many are lower in alcohol and sweeter, so taste and adjust the lime or lemon. I always taste before I pour.
| Orange liqueur | Base and style | Alcohol | Flavor | Best in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cointreau | Neutral spirit, clear triple sec | 40% ABV (80 proof) | Bright, clean orange peel, medium sweet | Margaritas, sidecars, cosmopolitans, fizzes |
| Generic triple sec | Neutral spirit, clear | Often 15% to 30% ABV | Sweeter, simpler orange | Budget margaritas and punches |
| Grand Marnier | Cognac blended with orange liqueur, amber | 40% ABV | Richer, vanilla and oak | Cadillac margaritas, sipping, desserts |
| Orange curaçao | Varies; often brandy or rum based | Varies | Orange with a bitter edge | Mai tais and tiki drinks |
How Strong Are Cointreau Cocktails?
Cointreau is 40% alcohol by volume, so 1 oz contains about 0.4 oz of pure alcohol. A US standard drink is 0.6 oz of pure alcohol, which means a classic margarita with 2 oz tequila and 1 oz Cointreau holds about 2 standard drinks, and a 2 oz Cointreau fizz holds about 1.3.
All 37 cocktails on this page contain alcohol and are for adults of legal drinking age only. Measure with a jigger rather than free-pouring, alternate drinks with water, and never drink and drive. Skip alcohol entirely if you are pregnant, taking medicine that interacts with it, or will be operating machinery.
Alcohol-Free Option: Orange Lime Fizz Mocktail
For guests who aren't drinking, this mocktail has the same bright orange-and-lime flavor as a Cointreau fizz with no alcohol at all. Measurements are for one drink.
For more alcohol-free ideas, try a virgin margarita, a virgin mimosa or a virgin strawberry daiquiri.
- 2 oz fresh orange juice
- 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 3 oz chilled club soda
- Method: shake the orange juice, lime juice, syrup and zest with ice, strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top with the club soda. Garnish with an orange wheel.
Tips for Better Cointreau Cocktails
- Squeeze citrus fresh. Bottled lime and lemon juice taste flat and make the orange liqueur taste sweeter.
- Shake hard, about 12 to 15 seconds, for sours like the margarita, sidecar and White Lady. Build and stir anything with soda or sparkling wine.
- Chill your glass with ice water while you mix, then tip it out before straining.
- Balance to taste. If a drink is too sharp, add 1/4 oz simple syrup; too sweet, add 1/4 oz citrus.
- Store the bottle tightly capped, upright and away from heat and sunlight. Because of its high alcohol content it keeps for years after opening, though the orange aroma slowly fades.
- More drinks: see our rum cocktails, gin cocktails and tequila cocktails.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Cointreau cocktails?
The most popular Cointreau cocktails are the margarita, sidecar, cosmopolitan, lemon drop martini, White Lady, Corpse Reviver No. 2 and mai tai. For something simple, the Cointreau fizz is just Cointreau, fresh lime juice and soda water over ice. All of them contain alcohol and are for adults of legal drinking age.
What is the best mixer for Cointreau?
Fresh lime or lemon juice is the most important partner, followed by club soda, tonic water, cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger beer and dry sparkling wine. For a two-ingredient drink, 2 oz Cointreau with 3 oz soda water and a squeeze of lime is the easiest choice.
What is the best way to drink Cointreau?
Many people sip it over a large ice cube with an orange peel, or lengthen it with soda water and lime as a Cointreau fizz. It is also the orange liqueur in classic margaritas and sidecars. Because it is 40% alcohol, treat a pour like any other spirit.
Is Cointreau the same as triple sec?
Cointreau is a brand of triple sec, a clear orange liqueur. It is stronger than many generic triple secs, at 40% ABV compared with roughly 15% to 30%, and usually less sweet. You can swap one for the other, but taste and adjust the citrus and sugar.
Can you mix rum and Cointreau?
Yes. Rum and orange liqueur work well together in the mai tai, the Cable Car, the R.B. Ginger and Between the Sheets, which uses equal parts white rum, cognac and Cointreau with a little lemon juice. With two or more spirits in the glass, these drinks are strong, so measure carefully.
