It all began in 1827, when Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle founded a distillery producing fruit liqueurs in Neauphle-le-Château, near Versailles.

The marriage of his granddaughter, 49 years later, to Louis-Alexandre Marnier, son of a family of wine merchants from Sancerre, marked the beginning of the Marnier Lapostolle saga.

In 1880, Louis-Alexandre Marnier Lapostolle invented a drink based on cognac and a rare variety of bitter orange from the Caribbean. At the time, oranges were still a luxury item, consumed by the rich or on special occasions, such as Christmas.

When the famous hotelier César Ritz tasted the creation, he suggested the name Grand Marnier. "A great name for a great liqueur", he is said to have said, reports the company.

A worldwide success for 140 years!