Bartending 101: What is triple sec?

May 13, 5:23 PMBartender ExaminerKathleen Neves

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Behind every professional bar there is a bottle of triple sec. But what is triple sec? Triple sec is an orange flavored liqueur made from dried peel of oranges that are found on Curacao, an island in the Caribbean. It does have alcohol in it, usually containing anywhere from 15-40% alcohol, making it 30-60 proof, depending on the brand. It's a sweetening/flavored agent used in a variety of mixed drinks. You would never use triple sec in a virgin drink because of the alcohol content.

"Sec" in French means dry. When talking about champagne, dry would indicate a lack of sweetness. This doesn't apply when it comes to triple sec. In the case of triple sec, it means that it has been triple distilled, not triple dry.

Most of the time, triple sec is colorless unless if it's blue curacao. Blue curacao is a blue-colored triple sec that is slightly sweeter than regular triple sec. Any time the term "blue" is used in the name of a drink or that the actual color of a drink is blue, there is a good chance that there is blue curacao in it.

Regular triple sec can be found in the well behind a bar, making it the least expensive form of triple sec. Triple sec can come in more expensive forms such as Cointreau and Grand Marnier. These are considered "top shelf" triple secs, making them more expensive than “well” triple sec. Grand Marnier has a slightly yellow/light brown tint to it because it is a cognac-based triple sec.

Long Islands. AMFs, Kamikazes, Cosmopolitans, Margaritas (Cadillac and Top Shelf) and Mai Tais are a few popular drinks that have triple sec in the recipe.