Corky

Corti Brothers in Sacramento has Amaro Ciaciaro. They are a great source for unusual bitters and liqueurs, as well as exotic food.

I've tried Citronge. I found it to be slightly sweeter than Marie Brizard, and less complex by roughly the same measure as MB is less complex than Cointreau. Either Citronge or Marie Brizard is far better than an orange syrup like DeKuyper, Bols or Hiram Walker, so unless the triple sec is front and center, I'm happy with MB (it's $20 vs. $32 for Cointreau); slightly less happy with Citronge (it's the same price as MB). Anything else, and I'm inclined to do without. ← For what it's worth, I like Bols Triple Sec, and it's inexpensive- it has great orange flavor but is much sweeter than Cointreau. In California, Trader Joe's has Bols for $5.99 a liter. I don't like Citronge at all, it has a piercing off flavor. Grand Marnier and Gran Gala have that Cognac flavor, and are not comparable.

That link is to the current day's front page, do you have any other way to get the article? Gary Regan, in his Cocktailian column in the SF Chronicle, analyzed the margarita and gave the recipes for two versions, using Cointreau and Grand Marnier With Cointreau, it's 3 oz. Tequila 2 oz. Cointreau 1 oz. fresh lime juice With Grand Marnier, use 3 oz. Tequila 2 oz. Grand Marnier 2 oz. fresh lime juice It's hard to tell which version the author prefers. When the taster in the story prefers the Grand Marnier, the bartender voices approval, but it may be because a regular at the bar prefers Cointreau and he will get the Cointreau leftovers. Here's a link to the article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...&sn=001&sc=1000 The trick in margaritas is balancing tequila, lime tartness and citrus flavors while attaining the desired sweetness. While Cointreau is my favorite orange liqueur, it makes margaritas too sour for my taste, and I usually add a splash of orange juice to sweeten it. I actually prefer GranGala to Grand Marnier, and they both have inherent sweetness, although I'm not always in the mood for the cognac taste. Bols triple sec is an excellent low priced orange liqueur, with good orange flavor and more sweetness than Cointreau, and is priced at $5.99 per liter at Trader Joe's. I've tried many blancos, with bottles of 1921, El Tesoro, Manik, Patron, 1800, Milagro and Casa Noble staring at me right now. The one I go back to again and again is the Patron, which is great for both sipping and margaritas. As far as cost, a stiff margie with 3 oz. Patron and 2 oz. Cointreau costs $8.00; think about that $8 margarita at the bar made with sweet and sour, which always leaves you asking your companion "Is there any liquor in this?"