Cointreau Bets On Humor And Aubrey Plaza To Cut Through The Tequila Noise

Forbes

7 hours ago

Aubrey Plaza Cointreau ad
In a liquor landscape where every celebrity seems to have a tequila brand, Aubrey Plaza and Cointreau are having a bit of fun with the trend. Their new campaign introduces 'Any Tequila'—a brand that doesn't actually exist.
Cointreau, the French orange liqueur that's been a staple in Margaritas for decades, partnered with Plaza to poke fun at the tequila gold rush while reminding drinkers that the Margarita's defining ingredient isn't what you might think. According to the brand, while tequila options have multiplied—there are reportedly 30% more tequila brands on shelves today than just three years ago—the one non-negotiable ingredient remains Cointreau.
'We saw this summer as a key opportunity to break through,' Craig Sherman, Vice President of Marketing at Rémy Cointreau Americas told me in a phone interview. 'Leaning into the tequila conversation was kind of natural since we've always been an essential in the Margarita, and this campaign was a tongue-in-cheek way to cut through and remind consumers that it's Cointreau that makes the Margarita.'
The Joke Is the Brand
Celebrity-owned tequila has exploded over the past decade, with everyone from George Clooney and Kendall Jenner to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Kevin Hart launching their own brands.
In the new ads, Plaza introduces Any Tequila as her latest celebrity-backed product launch. The twist? The brand doesn't exist. It's simply a setup to hammer home the campaign's point: choose whatever tequila you like, but without Cointreau, your Margarita isn't quite right.
'We wanted to build on the last campaign's success and reinforce the MargaRight messaging in a way that felt fresh and culturally relevant,' Sherman said, noting the rise of celebrity spirits as an easy target for satire.
Plaza, known for her dry delivery, starred in last year's MargaRight campaign and returns here to keep things weird. 'She really elevates the material. Anything she's in cuts through the noise,' Sherman said.
The campaign launched in June across digital, social, streaming, and YouTube. Early feedback, according to Sherman, has been overwhelmingly positive. 'This was quite an ambitious project. It's not your run-of-the-mill ad, and people really appreciate seeing something different delivered in a fun, fresh way,' he said.
So what exactly is Cointreau?
Aubrey Plaza in Cointreau's 'Any Tequila' campaign
First created in 1849 in Angers, France, Cointreau is a clear orange liqueur made from a blend of sweet and bitter orange peels. Technically classified as a triple sec, it has a crisp, bright citrus flavor with a smooth, dry finish that balances and intensifies cocktails without overpowering them. While it's best known as a key ingredient in the Margarita, Cointreau also stars in classics like the Sidecar and Cosmopolitan.
The Margarita, Made Right
Margarita cocktail with ice, lime and salt rim on a black slate board
Behind the humor is a simple message: while tequila brands come and go (and multiply), Cointreau argues that its orange liqueur remains the backbone of the classic Margarita. Margarita Sames, the Dallas socialite credited with inventing the cocktail in 1948, reportedly once said, 'A Margarita without Cointreau is not worth its salt.'
And if the campaign has you craving the real thing, here's how to make The Original Margarita at home:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Rim a rocks glass with salt. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into the prepared glass filled with fresh ice, garnish with a lime wheel, and enjoy.
After all, as Plaza's new campaign makes clear, it doesn't matter whose tequila you use—just make sure it's 'MargaRight.'