Cointreau
Product brand
UnclaimedFrench orange liqueur brand known for its role in classic cocktails including the Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Sidecar.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Cointreau is a French premium orange liqueur brand produced in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou near Angers. Its roots reach back to 1849, when brothers Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau established a confectionery and distilling business. The company developed an orange liqueur in the nineteenth century, and the formula associated with the modern brand was created in 1875 by Édouard Cointreau. The product was distinguished by its use of sweet and bitter orange peels, a clear appearance, a relatively high alcoholic strength and a flavor profile designed to work both as a digestif and as a cocktail ingredient. The brand’s early growth combined product differentiation with unusually advanced advertising. Cointreau created the Pierrot Cointreau character in 1898 and used the figure in posters, films and other promotional formats. Its association with the Lumière era of cinema is frequently cited in the brand’s own historical account as an early example of filmed advertising. International exhibitions in Paris, Hanoi and Milan helped present the liqueur to wider audiences, while an advertising vehicle carried the brand through France in the early twentieth century. These activities established a long-running connection between Cointreau, visual culture and theatrical brand storytelling. Cointreau later became closely associated with the professional cocktail trade. Its orange flavor and clear color made it a flexible component in drinks such as the Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, White Lady and Mai Tai. Rather than positioning itself only as a bottle to be consumed neat, the brand has generally emphasized the way its liqueur changes the balance, aroma and texture of mixed drinks. This cocktail-centered identity has supported premiumization and helped Cointreau remain relevant across changing drinking occasions. The Cointreau family business became part of the corporate history of Rémy Cointreau through the 1990 combination of the holding companies associated with the Cointreau and Hériard Dubreuil families. Rémy Cointreau adopted its current corporate name in 1991. Cointreau is now one of the group’s international liqueur brands, distributed alongside cognac, rum, whisky, champagne and other premium spirits. The brand remains active internationally and continues to communicate through cocktail education, bartender engagement, cultural partnerships and mass-media advertising. In the 2000s and 2010s, campaigns such as “Be Cointreauversial” sought to make the brand more contemporary while retaining its premium and fashion-conscious character. Later work included “The Art of the Mix” and the 2022 platform “Cointreau changes everything,” which accompanied a bottle redesign and introduced a new orange-clad mascot able to stop time. In 2023, actor Aubrey Plaza fronted the “MargaRight” campaign, which promoted a Margarita made with Cointreau, tequila and fresh lime juice. A subsequent “Keep It Cosmo” campaign extended the partnership to another cocktail associated with the brand. These initiatives show the continuing strategy: make the liqueur’s technical role in famous cocktails visible while giving the heritage brand a playful, culturally current personality.
History
Cointreau began in 1849 as a family confectionery and distilling enterprise founded by Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau in Angers. The business’s later identity was shaped by Édouard Cointreau, who developed the orange liqueur formula associated with the brand in 1875. The spirit combined sweet and bitter orange peels and was made clear rather than colored, helping it stand apart from other orange-flavored liqueurs. Its relatively strong alcoholic content also made it useful in mixed drinks, a role that eventually became central to the brand’s global identity. At the end of the nineteenth century, Cointreau treated advertising as a major part of brand building. In 1898 it introduced Pierrot Cointreau, a character created by artist Nicolas Tamagno. The character appeared in posters and moving-image advertising, linking Cointreau with the emerging visual language of cinema and popular entertainment. The company’s historical materials identify an early film commercial made in association with the Lumière brothers’ pioneering film operation. Awards and appearances at international exhibitions, including Paris in 1900, Hanoi in 1902 and Milan in 1906, supported the brand’s export ambitions. The Cointreau advertising car of 1903 was another early example of mobile brand promotion. The Pierrot imagery remained important for decades. In 1954, Jean-Adrien Mercier, Édouard Cointreau’s grandson, created a major poster and film campaign featuring Pierrot alongside Harlequin and Colombine. This represented the final major campaign centered on the emblematic character, after which the brand gradually developed a more modern cocktail and lifestyle vocabulary. Cointreau’s international reputation increasingly rested on its use in cocktails. The liqueur became associated with the Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, White Lady and other recipes in which orange aroma and sweetness help integrate stronger spirits and citrus. This role enabled the brand to address bartenders, cocktail enthusiasts and home entertainers rather than relying solely on neat-serve consumption. Its marketing has therefore often combined heritage claims with recipes, mixology education and visual demonstrations of transformation. Corporate ownership changed as the Cointreau family business became linked with the Rémy Martin interests. In 1990, the holding companies associated with the Cointreau and Hériard Dubreuil families were combined, and the resulting group adopted the name Rémy Cointreau in 1991. Cointreau has since operated as a flagship liqueur brand within that publicly listed French spirits group, whose wider portfolio includes cognac, rum, whisky, champagne and other premium beverages. In the early 2000s, the brand pursued repositioning in markets such as the United Kingdom through “Be Cointreauversial,” a campaign intended to attract younger consumers without abandoning established customers. The work used outdoor advertising, press, event sampling and an exhibition celebrating distinctive women and cultural individuality. Later brand activity included “The Art of the Mix,” which continued the emphasis on cocktails and creative expression. Cointreau’s most substantial modern identity change came around 2022. A redesigned bottle and the platform “Cointreau changes everything” were accompanied by a mysterious orange-suited mascot who appears at golden hour and can stop time. The campaign presented the humble orange as a transformative ingredient and updated the brand’s visual codes while preserving its long heritage. In 2021, during the COVID-19 crisis, Cointreau partnered with the Independent Restaurant Coalition on a U.S. Super Bowl spot honoring restaurant workers and encouraging public support for independent hospitality businesses. In 2023, Aubrey Plaza became the face of a major U.S. campaign for the Margarita’s seventy-fifth anniversary. The “MargaRight” work humorously argued for Cointreau, tequila and fresh lime as the correct combination, and was followed later that year by “Keep It Cosmo,” which used the Cosmopolitan to reinforce the brand’s cocktail credentials. Cointreau remains an active international premium orange liqueur brand whose present strategy connects historic French manufacture, cocktail expertise and contemporary entertainment-led communication.
- 2023
MargaRight campaign launched
[5]Aubrey Plaza fronted a large U.S. campaign promoting the Cointreau Margarita and the brand’s role in the cocktail’s traditional recipe.
- 2022
Global identity refresh
[3]Cointreau introduced a redesigned bottle, the “Cointreau changes everything” slogan and a new mascot in a major global brand refresh.
- 1991
Rémy Cointreau name adopted
[2]The combined spirits group adopted the corporate name Rémy Cointreau.
- 1990
Cointreau and Rémy Martin holding companies combined
[2]The family-controlled holding companies associated with Cointreau and Rémy Martin were combined, creating the basis of the future Rémy Cointreau Group.
- 1900
Recognition at the Paris World’s Fair
[1]Cointreau received recognition at the Paris international exhibition and expanded its public profile.
- 1898
Pierrot Cointreau introduced
[1]The Pierrot Cointreau advertising character was created, beginning a long period of distinctive visual communication.
- 1875
Modern orange liqueur formula developed
[1]Édouard Cointreau developed the orange liqueur formula that became the foundation of the modern Cointreau brand.
- 1849
Cointreau family business established
[1]Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau established the family confectionery and distilling business in Angers, France.
Products and positioning
Premium French orange liqueur positioned as both a heritage spirit and an essential cocktail ingredient.
Orange liqueur · 1875
Cointreau L'Unique
The core Cointreau expression is a clear premium orange liqueur made from sweet and bitter orange peels. It is designed for both sipping and mixing, with citrus aroma, sweetness and bitterness balanced for use in classic cocktails such as the Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Sidecar.
Orange liqueur
Cointreau Noir
Cointreau Noir is a darker, richer variation combining Cointreau’s orange-laced profile with cognac. It extends the brand into a fuller-bodied serve while retaining the orange character associated with the house.
Controversies
2021
Cointreau sues over Quatreau trademark
Rémy Cointreau sued Canopy Growth, alleging that its Quatreau CBD-infused sparkling water brand infringed Cointreau’s trademark. Cointreau said the alleged infringement could cause irreparable business damage; the article reports allegations, not a court determination.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023MargaRight or MargaWrong
United States
Aubrey Plaza starred in humorous advertisements presenting Cointreau, tequila and fresh lime juice as the proper foundation of a Margarita. The campaign ran across connected television, digital and social channels.
Outcome. The campaign was described by trade coverage as Cointreau’s largest U.S. creative campaign to that point.
- 2023Keep It Cosmo
United States
Cointreau extended its Aubrey Plaza partnership to the Cosmopolitan, using the cocktail’s cultural associations and holiday relevance to underline the liqueur’s role in a well-known mixed drink.
Outcome. The campaign broadened the partnership beyond the Margarita and ran through digital, connected television and social media.
- 2022Cointreau changes everything
Global
TBWA\Paris created a global brand platform in which an enigmatic orange-clad mascot demonstrates the transformative power of the liqueur by stopping time. The campaign accompanied a major bottle and identity refresh.
Outcome. The work marked the brand’s most significant visual refresh in roughly 140 years.
- 2021A Toast to Independent Restaurants
United States
Cointreau and the Independent Restaurant Coalition used a documentary-style Super Bowl advertisement to recognize hospitality workers and draw attention to the plight of independent restaurants during the pandemic.
Outcome. The spot was intended to increase awareness of support needed by independent restaurants and their workers.
- 2003Be Cointreauversial
United Kingdom · United States
The campaign used provocative fashion-oriented imagery, outdoor media, press, event sampling and cultural programming to make Cointreau more relevant to younger urban consumers while preserving its premium credentials.
Outcome. The campaign’s agency reported improved UK sales and a shift in younger consumers’ brand perceptions.
Brand decisions
2023
Cocktail-led U.S. marketing strategyStrategyBackground
Cointreau sought to strengthen consumer understanding of its role in recognized cocktails, particularly the Margarita and Cosmopolitan.
Action taken
The brand used Aubrey Plaza-led campaigns to dramatize the difference between a Margarita made with Cointreau and one made without it, then extended the message to the Cosmopolitan.
Aftermath
The activity reinforced Cointreau’s identity as a cocktail essential and expanded its entertainment-led consumer communication.
2022
Bottle and visual identity redesignGeneration changeBackground
The heritage brand sought a contemporary expression while maintaining recognition built over more than a century of advertising and cocktail associations.
Action taken
Cointreau introduced a redesigned bottle, a new global slogan and a new mascot-led advertising platform.
Aftermath
The refresh repositioned orange as the central transformative ingredient and gave the brand a more contemporary storytelling device.
1990
Combination with Rémy Martin interestsM&ABackground
The Cointreau family holding company and the holding structure associated with Rémy Martin were brought together as part of the formation of the modern Rémy Cointreau group.
Action taken
The two family-controlled structures were combined, with the group adopting the Rémy Cointreau name the following year.
Aftermath
Cointreau became a principal liqueur brand within a diversified international premium spirits group.
Recent events
Reported
Cointreau sues over Quatreau trademark[8]
Rémy Cointreau sued Canopy Growth, alleging that its Quatreau CBD-infused sparkling water brand infringed Cointreau’s trademark. Cointreau said the alleged infringement could cause irreparable business damage; the article reports allegations, not a court determination.
Reported
Cointreau sues Canopy Growth over Quatreau name[10]
Cointreau Corp. sued Canopy Growth Corp. in a New York court, alleging trademark violations over Canopy’s Quatreau cannabis beverage name. Cointreau said it feared the names could cause consumers to mistake Canopy’s products for its brands, and sought a permanent injunction and profits from the allegedly infringing products. The report describes allegations, not a court finding.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Cointreau sues Canopy over beverage names[9]
Rémy Cointreau filed a lawsuit against Canopy Growth alleging that its Quatreau CBD-infused sparkling drinks use a mark too similar to Cointreau and constitute trademark infringement. The complaint seeks, among other remedies, an injunction.
Sources10 sources
- 1Cointreau official historycointreau.com
- 2Rémy Cointreau integrated annual report: group historyremy-cointreau.publispeak.com
- 3Adweek: Cointreau introduces an enigmatic mascotadweek.com
- 4Campaign: Cointreau’s first Super Bowl adcampaignlive.com
- 5Adweek: Aubrey Plaza and MargaRightadweek.com
- 6MediaPost: Cointreau and Aubrey Plaza Keep It Cosmomediapost.com
- 7Be Cointreauversialkatswhiskers.com
- 8Cointreau sues over Quatreau trademarkthespiritsbusiness.com
- 9Cointreau sues over Quatreau trademarkedmontonjournal.com
- 10Cointreau sues over Quatreau trademarktoronto.citynews.ca
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