Gran Gala Orange Liqueur
Gran Gala belongs to the same general family as Grand Marnier: rather than putting orange flavor into a neutral alcohol base, such as Cointreau, it combines orange with aged brandy. Sazerac describes it as VSOP Italian brandy infused with fresh-orange flavors, producing a full-bodied, sweet, velvety orange liqueur. It’s a substantial 40% ABV, unusually high for an inexpensive liqueur.
Gran Gala has genuine Italian roots. The producer, Sazerac, traces the name back to Trieste in 1884. The brand was formerly owned by Stock Spirits, which sold Gran Gala to Sazerac in 2012. Today, the formulation maintains that Italian connection through the VSOP brandy, although the finished liqueur is produced and bottled in Canada.
That brandy base is important. It gives Gran Gala considerably more weight and depth than ordinary triple sec. It pours a rich dark gold, but it does contain caramel coloring, The nose is rather hot, and offers aromas of Seville oranges and orange oil. These continue on the palate, which is initially quite sweet and viscous, plus plenty of spice, candied orange, orange marmalade, vanilla, caramel, and a modest oak/brandy character. The finish shows orange peel and caramel, with a slight citrus-pith bitterness. Rather than sipping neat, Gran Gala is better on ice or in cocktails such as a Cadillac Margarita, a Sidecar variation, a Cosmopolitan, Mai Tai variation, or anywhere you want orange plus some aged-spirit richness. Gran Gala isn’t as good as Grand Marnier, but it’s also half the price.
my personal Killer Margarita recipe
Combine 4 oz. tequila, preferably Reposado, 2 oz. triple sec, and 3 oz. Rose’s lime juice* with 1 cup crushed ice. Stir or shake until ice is nearly melted. Pour into salted-rim (I like to use a mix of 3-parts kosher salt to 1-part Tajin seasoning) glasses half filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a fresh lime slice.
*If you want to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup in Rose’s, substitute 2 oz. fresh lime juice + 1 oz. agave syrup.
A note about brandy vs. Cognac: brandy is a liquor distilled from wine and aged in wood. (Brandy can be made from fruits other than grapes as well, but that’s a story for another time.) Cognac is brandy that specifically comes from the town of Cognac and the delimited surrounding areas in western France. (The one which has the most favorable soil and geographical conditions is Grande Champagne.) So, all Cognacs are brandy, but not all brandies are Cognac. For more detail on brandy and Cognac, click here.
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