Narrator: TRADITION DICTATES
THAT ORANGE LIQUEUR
BE SERVED AS A DIGESTIF,
BUT NOWADAYS IT'S ALSO USED
AS AN INGREDIENT
IN POPULAR COCKTAILS --
FOR INSTANCE, MIXED WITH TEQUILA
TO MAKE A MARGARITA,
WITH GIN TO MAKE A WHITE LADY,
OR WITH VODKA
TO MAKE A COSMOPOLITAN.
ORANGE LIQUEUR
IS ALSO KNOWN AS TRIPLE SEC,
TRIPLE REFERRING TO THE FACT
IT'S DISTILLED THREE TIMES.
"SEC" IS FRENCH FOR "DRY."
HOWEVER, THIS LIQUEUR
ISN'T DRY AT ALL.
IT'S ACTUALLY VERY SWEET,
EVEN THOUGH IT'S MADE
WITH MOSTLY BITTER ORANGES.
TRIPLE SEC WAS INVENTED IN 1834
BY THIS DISTILLERY IN FRANCE.
THE LIQUEUR IS MADE
FROM A COMBINATION
OF SWEET ORANGE RINDS
AND BITTER ORANGE RINDS,
WHICH ARE GREEN,
IMPORTED FROM HAITI.
THE RINDS ARRIVE SUN-DRIED,
SO THE FIRST STEP
IS TO REHYDRATE THEM
BY SOAKING IN COLD WATER
FOR ABOUT 12 HOURS.
THE NEXT STEP
IS RUNNING EACH AND EVERY RIND
THROUGH A REVOLVING RAZOR
TO REMOVE THE WHITE LINING.
LEFT ON, THIS LINING WOULD MAKE
THE LIQUEUR TASTE BITTER.
RIND WITH ITS LINING REMOVED
IS REFERRED TO AS ZEST.
WHILE THE DISTILLERY
WILL DIVULGE
THAT ITS LIQUEUR RECIPE
CALLS FOR
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE
BITTER ORANGE ZEST
THAN SWEET ORANGE ZEST,
THE PRECISE RATIO IS TOP SECRET.
THE NEXT STEP
IS WHAT'S KNOWN AS MACERATION.
THEY SOAK THE ZEST IN SUGAR BEET
ALCOHOL FOR ABOUT FIVE DAYS,
DURING WHICH TIME
THE RINDS SOFTEN
AND THE ALCOHOL
TURNS SLIGHTLY ORANGE.
AT THE END
OF THE MACERATION PHASE,
THEY PUMP THE ALCOHOL
AND TRANSFER THE ZEST
INTO A LONG-NECKED COPPER VESSEL
CALLED A STILL.
ONCE ALL THE ALCOHOL AND ZEST
ARE INSIDE,
THEY CLOSE UP THE STILL.
THEN THEY RELEASE HOT STEAM,
WHICH HEATS THE STILL,
BRINGING THE ALCOHOL TO A BOIL.
THE ALCOHOL EVAPORATES,
RISING UP THE STILL'S LONG NECK,
UNTIL IT REACHES
A CONDENSATION SYSTEM
WHICH COOLS IT
TO LIQUID FORM AGAIN
BUT NOW
WITH A MORE CONCENTRATED FLAVOR.
THIS ENTIRE DISTILLATION CYCLE
TAKES ABOUT A HALF HOUR.
THE RESULT IS A SPIRIT
OF BITTER AND SWEET ORANGES
THAT HAS AN ALCOHOL LEVEL
OF BETWEEN 86% AND 88%.
THE FIRST FLOW OUT OF THE STILL,
CALLED HEAD PHLEGM, IS WHITE,
DUE TO THE ORANGE OIL
WHICH HAS RISEN TO THE TOP.
ONCE THAT OIL FLOWS OFF,
THE SPIRIT IS CLEAR
AND READY FOR ANOTHER
DISTILLATION THE NEXT DAY,
THEN ANOTHER THE DAY AFTER --
THREE DISTILLATIONS IN ALL.
THE FINAL SPIRIT, CALLED HEART,
NOW HAS AN ALCOHOL LEVEL
OF 81% TO 83%.
THEY POUR A PRECISE AMOUNT INTO
A STAINLESS STEEL MIXING VAT.
IN A DIFFERENT MIXER,
THEY COMBINE WATER AND SUGAR,
HEATING UNTIL THE INGREDIENTS
CONCENTRATE INTO SYRUP.
THEN THEY ADD THE SYRUP
TO THE SPIRIT.
THE PROPORTIONS ARE TOP SECRET
AND MIX FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR.
THE SYRUP GIVES THE LIQUEUR
ADDITIONAL SWEETNESS
AND DILUTES THE 80% ALCOHOL
LEVEL IN HALF TO 40%.
IN THE DISTILLERY'S
QUALITY-CONTROL LABORATORY,
TECHNICIANS TEST SAMPLES
REGULARLY TO ENSURE
THAT THE LIQUEUR'S ALCOHOL LEVEL
IS ALWAYS CONSISTENT.
ON THE BOTTLING LINE,
THE FIRST STATION
IS A RINSING MACHINE.
IT DISINFECTS THE INTERIOR
OF THE FROSTED-GLASS BOTTLES
WITH ALCOHOL.
NEXT, THE BOTTLES PROCEED
TO THE FILLING STATION.
THESE ARE 1 1/2-PINT BOTTLES.
HOWEVER, THE LIQUEUR IS BOTTLED
IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT SIZES.
THE NEXT STATION PLACES
A METALLIC TWIST CAP
ONTO THE NECK
OF EACH FILLED BOTTLE,
THEN TWISTS IT UNTIL THE BOTTLE
IS TIGHTLY SEALED.
THE FINAL STATION
SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLIES
FRONT AND BACK ADHESIVE LABELS.
TRIPLE SEC IS A COMPLETELY
COLORLESS LIQUEUR --
NOT WHAT SOME MIGHT EXPECT,
GIVEN ITS UNMISTAKABLY ORANGE
FLAVOR.
