July 14th is National Grand Marnier Day, and in honor of that I wanted to share with you one of my favorite drinks for showcasing Grand Marnier.
A few years ago I stopped by a Portland restaurant, the late lamented Brasserie Montmartre, to visit a friend who was working a stint as a bartender there. Asked if he could recommend a good after-dinner drink, he suggested a Beautiful, which was very popular there after the French meals they served. It became the instant go-to after dinner drink at our house, and has done serious damage to our Grand Marnier stock.
Beautiful
- 1 – 1 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 – 1/2 oz Cognac
Pour both into a snifter and serve.
So simple and yet so satisfying; sweet enough to be appealing when full of rich food, but spicy and complex enough to savor. After a nice dinner, I don’t usually find it necessary to measure this one. It’s a matter of taste, but I wouldn’t go more than 1/2 cognac.
This is such a basic variation that apparently there is even a bottled version available from Grand Marnier called Louis Alexandre. It was created in honor of Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle, the inventor of Grand Marnier.