Editing Triple sec

{{Short description|Variety of Curaçao liqueur}}
{{Infobox Beverage
|name=Triple sec
|image=Triple Sec.jpg
|type=[[Liqueur]]
|abv=20%-40%
|proof= 40-80° US / 35-70° UK
|origin=[[France]]
|introduced=19th century
|color={{hlist | Clear | golden | blue}}
|flavor=[[Orange (fruit)|Orange]]
}}

'''Triple sec''' is an [[Orange (fruit)|orange]]-flavoured [[liqueur]] that originated in France. It usually contains 20–40% [[alcohol by volume]].<ref name="diffords176">{{Cite web|title=Triple sec liqueurs|url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/beer-wine-spirits/category/176/triple-sec-liqueurs|access-date=2022-01-20|website=www.diffordsguide.com|language=en}}</ref>

Triple sec is rarely consumed [[Bartending terminology#Neat|neat]], but is used in preparing many [[mixed drinks]] such as [[margarita]]s, [[Cosmopolitan (cocktail)|cosmopolitan]]s, [[Sidecar (cocktail)|sidecar]]s, [[Long Island iced tea]]s, and [[mai tai]]s.

== Etymology ==
The origin of the name "triple sec" is disputed. The term is French and composed of ''triple'', with the same meaning as in English, and ''sec'', the French word for "dry". Some sources claim it comes from a triple [[distillation]] process used to create the liqueur,<ref name="diffords176"/><ref name="barnone">{{cite web |title=Triple Sec |url=https://www.barnonedrinks.com/tips/dictionary/t/triple-sec-922.html |website=Bar None Drinks |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref> but others say that a triple distillation is not used.<ref name="vinepair">{{cite web |last1=McKirdy |first1=Tim |date=3 December 2021 |title=What's the Difference Between Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Curaçao, and Triple Sec? |url=https://vinepair.com/articles/differences-cointreau-triple-sec-grand-marnier/ |access-date=18 January 2022 |website=VinePair}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Insider's Guide to Triple Sec |url=https://blog.cocktailbuilder.com/what-is-triple-sec/ |website=Cocktail Builder |access-date=18 January 2022}}</ref> [[Cointreau]], a brand of triple sec, is reported to have invented the term based on the three types of orange peels used in the liqueur, although other reports have Cointreau claim the triple to mean "three times the flavour of [[Curaçao (liqueur)|Curaçaos]]".<ref name="diffords176"/><ref name="seniorco">{{cite web |title=Difference Between Curaçao, Triple Sec & Orange Liqueur Explained |url=https://www.curacaoliqueur.com/articles/difference-curacao-liqueur-triple-sec |website=Senior & Co. |access-date=18 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=[ Spiritueux Magazine ] Triple sec ou liqueur d'orange, quelle est la différence entre un Cointreau et un Grand Marnier ? |url=http://www.spiritueuxmagazine.com/2015/08/le-triple-sec-definition.html |access-date=2023-10-27}}</ref>

==History==

Triple sec has been popular for more than 150 years. The [[Dutch East India Company]] created orange liqueurs by steeping dried orange peels from places such as the island of [[Curaçao]].<ref name="diffords176"/> Unlike the modern-day triple sec, which contains only the flavor of orange peel, the Dutch version includes herbs and spices, and comes in a variety of colors such as clear, orange, or blue.<ref name="diffords176"/>

The Combier distillery claims that Jean-Baptiste Combier and his wife Josephine invented triple sec in 1834, in their kitchen in [[Saumur]], France.<ref>{{cite web |title=Original Combier |url=http://www.combierusa.com/products/original-combier/ |website=Combier |access-date=31 July 2018 |archive-date=31 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062120/http://www.combierusa.com/products/original-combier/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Orange liqueur was rising in popularity after the Dutch introduced Curaçao, and the Combiers sought to create a version that would be true to the orange fruit, they wanted it to be crisp and clean, with orange essential oils as the main feature. To achieve this, the Combier family used bitter oranges that were native to Haiti, and sweet Valencia oranges to balance the flavor.<ref name="CombierStory">{{Cite web|title=The Combier Story // History // Combier Liqueurs|url=http://www.combierusa.com/history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424075336/http://www.combierusa.com/history/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 24, 2012|access-date=2021-05-12|website=www.combierusa.com}}</ref> The liqueur was made by sun-drying the various orange peels. After at least 48 hours, they would begin distilling this mixture in copper pots. Lastly, they would put them through a third distillation, to purify the flavor.<ref name="CombierStory"/>

In 1875, Cointreau created its version of triple sec and calls it one of the most popular brands.<ref name="cointreau">{{cite web |title=Cointreau |url=http://www.remy-cointreau.com/en/brands/cointreau/ |website=[[Rémy Cointreau]] |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref> Triple sec gained popularity and was widely known by 1878; at the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)|Exposition Universelle of 1878]] in Paris, several distillers were offering "Curaço {{sic}} triple sec", as well as "Curaço doux".<ref>The Lancet Analytical Commission, "Report on the Food Products exhibited in the French and English Departments of the Universal Exhibition of Paris", ''The Lancet'', 21 September 1878, [https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA417 p. 417''f''].</ref>

== Production ==
Triple sec is usually made from a spirit derived from [[sugar beet]] (used because of its neutral flavor), in which orange peel is steeped. The oranges are harvested when their skin is still green and not fully ripened, so the essential oils remain in the skin rather than the fruit's flesh. The spirit is redistilled and mixed with more neutral spirit, water, and powdered beet sugar, resulting in the final liqueur. This process creates a spirit that has a robust and distinct orange flavor.<ref name="diffords176"/>

== See also ==
* [[Cointreau]]
* [[Grand Marnier]]
* [[List of liqueurs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Alcoholic beverages}}
{{Citrus}}

[[Category:French liqueurs]]
[[Category:Orange liqueurs]]