Blood Orangecello & Bootlegging
June 17, 2012 § 25 Comments
My beautiful bottles of Blood Orangecello Liqueur.
Cold Blood Orangecello, Straight Up….
…or over ice garnished with berries & lemongrass. Very nice.
As it is Father’s Day I am going to tell this little story that has to do with my Dad.
I come from a family of bootleggers on my Father’s side of the family. I suppose it is okay to say this out loud after all these years. One of my many not so child appropriate memories is of going to visit some elderly Great Aunts & Uncles up in the country near Dover. I have no recollection of any of the Aunts, nor their cakes & pies or other homemade goodies made for our visit. Nor do I have any recollection of the Uncles themselves, just of going to see their “still” deep in the woods somewhere close to their houses. That I recollect like a film strip. It was a hot day, close & sticky, a day of mystery & deep greens. I watched quietly as Daddy & the Great Uncles studied the moonshine still and its’ output with reverence. There was a bit of tasting, but not for me. I liked the way the still looked, very purposefully random with copper tubing and large metal drums with pipes & drains, a gizmo to fascinate a curious child.On the way home I was cautioned to never mention to anyone about the still. I didn’t until today.
It must be in my blood as I so enjoy making batches of limoncello, vanilla extract, special cocktails in batches for dinner parties, turning fruit into liquers…this is what led me to remember going to see the still when I was a child. Just let me make this clear, in case anyone from the ATF is reading, I do not have a still at my house, but that does not stop me from my work. I use large mason jars, high proof vodka, sugar & fruit. This is how I made this beautiful batch of “Blood Orangecello”.
It takes a few weeks or months to complete a batch, but there is little work involved, just a lot of waiting. The wait is worth it every time. I start in deep Winter when citrus is abundant & cheap and by late Spring, early Summer my batch is ready to decant. Every now and then you need to swish it around in the jar and maybe take just a little taste to see how it coming along.
Here is what you will need:
6-8 ripe Blood Oranges
2 cups raw sugar
1 liter 100 proof vodka
Here is how you do it:
1. Wash & dry oranges. Carefully peel each orange taking care to not to remove any pith as you work.
2. Cut peeled oranges in half & juice each one.
3. In a large stockpot make a simple syrup using the 2 cups sugar & 1 cup water.Bring to a low boil, stirring until sugar is melted. Remove from heat.
4. Add the blood orange juice & the peels to the stockpot and stir to combine.
5. Pour the liter of vodka into the pot and stir to mix.
6. Ladle mixture with blood orange peels into a large glass mason jar. Cover with a tight -fitting lid. Place jar in a cool, dark place such as a closet floor for 6 weeks to 3 months. Every now and then swish the mixture around in the jar……and wait. (The first 6 steps were done in March.)
March, April, May….June…..
Time to decant. A couple of years ago I purchased an inexpensive bottle capper from All Seasons Garden Shop (they also sell everything to make beer and wine at home) on 8th Avenue South here in Nashville. I also get my little bottles by the case from them.
7. First remove the peels from the jar & toss out, then strain the blood orangecello through a fine sieve to remove most of the debris in the mixture. You will notice the liqueur has turned a deep, deep red color. That is fine & beautiful.
8.Carefully decant into clean bottles & cap (or you can use corks if you do not have a capper). That is all there is to it.
Blood Orangecello is delicious icy cold. I keep a few bottles in the freezer always ready to serve straight up, or over ice topped with fizzy water as well as drizzled over homemade vanilla ice cream or pound cake.
I am sure the Great Uncles and my Dad would look on this as child’s play. They would no doubt be right.
So gorgeous. I love limoncello; this looks even better. Do you need to use great-quality vodka? And is raw sugar necessary, or will white (or brown) sugar work as well?
So gorgeous. I love limoncello; this looks even better. Is great quality vodka a requirement? And do you need to use raw sugar, or will white (or brown) work?
I think you just need a vodka that is at least 80 proof. Nothing fancy. I would not use real brown sugar as it would make the color murky, but whit sugar is fine and what most recipes call for. I just love raw sugar so I thought I would try it and it was delicious. Good luck.
Beautiful indeed!
Wow. This is definitely going on my “to-make” list for next year! Why does the blood orange season have to be so painfully short?
I think they are looking down on you with a smile and a nod of approval. I love the orangecello’s color and it must be tasty.
Hi teresa, you are a star, I love limoncello, but the recipes I’ve seen require pure alcohol, which is hard to get hold of, and the process seems a lot more fiddly and longer. Could I swap the oranges for lemons in terms of number? and thank you!!
You would need about 12 to 15 lemons. When I make limo cello that is about how many I use for one batch. You can definitely swap to lemons using the same recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks Teresa – I’ve noted this for when this seasons lemons start arriving from Europe
MMmmmm, this looks so good! I also love limoncello and would love to try your Orangecello! Great photographs (as usual!)
me thinks it goes well with crosswords…
terry
Doesn’t everything?
they are beautiful bottles; I look forward to a sip. Indeed you have been most circumspect about your dad’s bootleggin’ days–(as the inscrutable one, I am impressed, all these years!) love the story.
Yes, very circumspect indeed! I have quite a few stories in this genre. Every now and then something makes me remember them very clearly. It seems working on my blog is when it happens most often.
A sip is being saved just for you!
These look so beautiful, they’re worth the wait. GG
I love this post. Everything about it. I have never bottled anything and now i want to remember this come deep winter. I can only imagine how great it tastes as I love blood orange. This is bookmarked, no pinned.
Those bottles are so gorgeous and so refreshing looking. You’ve done your bootlegging heritage proud.
If it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood…so I say don’t fight it and just enjoy making great spirits!!
I love the way you held on to that secret story for so long.
Love your stories and your beautiful photos! May have to try this one!
i’m pretty sure i’m in love with you right now, teresa. or at least in love with your blood orangecello.
i am pinning for next winter so that i can have some next summer. on my deck (should i have one then). in the sun.
What a stunning drink my friend, absolutely loving it
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
My Dutchteam didn’t do well in the european soccer tournament ,
so the orange are out and it is good to have very delicious tasting orange with some blood color, photo’s spectacular
oh wow this sounds and looks delicious! I can see myself adding it to some sorbets or ice creams!
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