If you’re an avid cocktail drinker, you’ve probably come across triple sec before. It’s used in many perfect drink recipes for a hot day, like margaritas and Long Island Iced Tea. Some of the most famous brands include Cointreau, and the brandy and triple sec based liqueur Grand Marnier. But if you love to freeze your cocktails in creative ways, you will certainly want to know: does triple sec freeze? In this article, we’ll explain why this versatile liquor can be kept in the freezer without worry.
Does triple sec freeze?
Triple sec is made from equal parts of bitter oranges and sweet oranges. (The bitter oranges often come from Seville.) This liquor has been used in classic French cocktails since the late 1800s. It’s now popular in many other countries as well, including the United States. You only have to watch any American sitcom to know that Americans love frozen margaritas!
The answer to the question of whether triple sec freezes is a little complicated. But in general: no, it doesn’t freeze. At least, not easily.
As a rule, if you are keeping triple sec in your freezer at home, it probably won’t get to a level where it’s so cold that it will significantly affect the viscosity of the liquid.
Triple sec can contain anywhere up to 40% alcohol by volume (“abv”). Some of the most famous brands of triple sec, like Cointreau and Grand Marnier, can be kept in the freezer without becoming solid. This is because the alcohol has a lower freezing point than the rest of the distilled contents.
The base alcohol is distilled three times, and diluted by the fruit, water and essential oil flavourings. The alcohol content at the start of the process is therefore even higher. This means that it is pretty difficult to freeze solid.
However, some varieties of triple sec – like cheaper brands with just 15% alcohol – are more likely to freeze. Quite simply, the less alcohol there is in the contents of the bottle, the more likely it is to freeze solid.
It’s also quite possible that if you keep your triple sec in the freezer, it will become a little bit slushy. Why? The water in the drink freezes at a higher temperature.
Are you here because you’re making a frozen margarita? Do you want to learn more about whether tequila – its other main ingredient – freezes? We have a whole article on it that you can read right here.
What temperature does triple sec freeze at?
If for some reason you want to freeze your triple sec into a block of boozy ice, you would need to cool it right, right down. In fact, you’d need to reduce it to a temperature of at least minus 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).
In case you’re wondering, this is way, way lower than a standard domestic freezer. For example, mine is currently set at minus 18 degrees Celsius (approximately 0 degrees Fahrenheit). (When I wrote this post –Does soju freeze? – I had it set to a higher temperature. Turns out it goes even lower. Anyway, I digress.)
A commercial deep freeze will usually cool down further, to at least -22C. This is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Yet this still won’t be sufficient to fully freeze triple sec.
You’d need something more like you’d find in a lab to freeze Cointreau or Grand Marnier completely.
However, at higher temperatures than this, but below the freezing point of water of 0 degrees Celsius, it is likely to freeze partially. This is due to the water and flavouring content as we’ve discussed above.
Keeping it in the freezer will chill the triple sec. On the other hand, it’s likely to reduce the orangey flavour. This is because our taste buds are inhibited by the cold.
What happens if you put triple sec in the freezer?
The main effect – some might say drawback – of keeping triple sec in the freezer is the influence on the way it tastes.
If you chill or freeze triple sec, this will impact both the aromas of the drink and the way your tongue interprets the taste. As we’ve learnt, the weaker the triple sec is, the more likely it is to freeze – and weaker triple sec is usually less flavoursome, too.
However, a short disclaimer. Please don’t drink straight from the bottle just after it’s been taken out of the freezer. It’s possible that you could get your lips or tongue stuck to a bottle that has been frozen, and we wouldn’t want you to get injured.
Glass bottles can also be damaged if they are stored in a freezer for a long time. If the bottle’s full and sealed, the water in the triple sec could expand and weaken the glass. For this reason, we don’t recommend keeping it in the freezer for any longer than a few hours.
So to summarise: can you keep triple sec in the freezer? Yes, but due to the small risk of damage to the bottle and the detrimental effect on the taste, we wouldn’t recommend it.
How long does triple sec last in the freezer?
The stronger versions of triple sec, like Cointreau and Grand Marnier, don’t have an expiry date because of their alcohol content. So the good news is that, if you want to, you can keep triple sec in the freezer for pretty much as long as you like.
This is because Cointreau doesn’t go bad. Click that link to learn more.
However, there are a few limitations to that statement. Firstly, the lower percentage alcohol triple sec varieties are more likely to go bad. This is because they contain less alcohol, and more sugar and flavourings.
There are also non-alcoholic triple sec options. These will last an even shorter time (and indeed will probably have a use by date). The usual applies as with anything else frozen though. If you stick it in the freezer if you’re not going to use it, it will last for a while longer.
And lastly, if you lie the bottle down in the freezer, there’s always the risk it could leak. No-one wants a sticky, boozy mess in their freezer, so be careful to make sure the lid’s screwed on tight! In my experience, Cointreau lids aren’t the best, so try and store the bottle upright if at all possible.
Conclusion
In summary, to say triple sec can freeze is a misnomer – but depending on the brand, there’s a risk it might go a bit slushy.
Some might say that trying to freeze triple sec is a quick way to ruin the flavour. If, for whatever reason, you don’t like the taste of oranges, you might want to give it a try.
But don’t take my word for it. Try freezing it for yourself to see how it tastes and how it alters the flavor profile.