Triple Sec
Triple sec is a clear orange-flavoured liqueur made by macerating and distilling dried orange peels with neutral spirit. It is drier and less syrupy than curaçao while still offering concentrated orange sweetness. It is one of the most widely used citrus liqueurs behind the bar.
Common uses
- citrus modifier in shaken sours
- balances tart juices in built drinks
Buying & storage
Keeps more or less indefinitely: Alcohol is preserving it. An open bottle keeps for a very long time, though aromatics do fade slowly.
Buying: This is the bottle where trading up pays off most visibly. Cheap triple sec is essentially orange-flavoured sugar; a decent one carries real peel bitterness that the Margarita and Sidecar genuinely need.
Storage: keeps well for a year or more once opened, store upright away from light
In depth
Understanding triple sec
How it is made, where it comes from, what it pairs with, and how it behaves in an alcohol-free drink.
How it's made
An orange liqueur made by macerating bitter and sweet orange peel in neutral spirit, then sweetening. Quality varies more than almost any other bottle in a home bar: cheap triple sec is largely sugar and orange essence, while a good one carries real peel bitterness that the drink genuinely needs.
Origin
A French-originated style of clear orange liqueur dating to the 19th century.
What it pairs with
The standard partner to lime and a base spirit — the Margarita and Sidecar template. Its sweetness means it usually needs more citrus alongside it than recipes suggest, particularly if the bottle is a cheap one.
In alcohol-free drinks
- Fresh orange juice with a squeeze of lemon covers the fruit but not the peel bitterness
- Expressing an orange twist over the finished drink recovers most of the missing aroma at no cost
Recipes
Cocktails containing this ingredient
Stand-in
Where triple sec is a recommended substitute
Recipes that name it as a swap for something else, with what it replaces.
- Blue Lagoonin place of blue curaçao
- El Presidentein place of orange curaçao
- Midori Sourin place of midori (melon liqueur)
- Champagne Punchin place of orange curaçao
Swap it
Possible substitutions
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