An Easy Orange Liqueur

I've been obsessed with making liqueurs lately and this is my version of an orange liqueur (basically a stronger triple sec). Perfect to add to a margarita or an apertif!

What you will need:

3 large oranges
Sugar
A bottle of Everclear or higher proof vodka
An airtight jar or bottle
A zester

Optional:
Veggie Wash

Step 1: Wash Your Oranges!

Use a veggie wash or be sure to rinse your oranges very well. Since you are using the peel, anything residue on the outside of the orange will end up in your final product! I got this Veggie Wash from a local grocery store for about $4, and it took all of the wax and dirt off of the oranges.

Comments

[yvo555]

Sounds really good. Not terribly complicated. Can't wait for the finished product. A bit easier than my mom's way. She peels the oranges in strips, scrapes off all the pith, dries out the peels in a low temp oven, then soaks them. Actually, her way is a good way to store peels for later use instead of having to go shop and using fresh. She saves them as she has oranges. Has anyone heard of that technique?

[spark master]

your mom's way is valid for storage for other uses, but this is way easier. I dry orange peel all the time for use in tea and learned to just take a veggie peeler and slip off the peel w/o the pith(white part). Sine I do not do veggie wash I wash my fruit if I am doing this (or using it for a "twist" of lemon in a drink. If you let the peels dry bone dry you will find they have a white waxy powder coat. That is fruit wax and of course pesticides, although I was told big growers wash off pesticides b4 waxing. I can't couch for the veracity of that thought. But I have seen the waxy powder on the plate with the peels.

Make this with a standard 80 proof high quality brandy and sweeten by dissolving sugar in water, then adding everclear (no taste and higher alcohol), to bring proof back to 80 or as it was when I was a kid, 86.8. since proof is double the % you can do the simple math to see how much everclear to add to how much water. (I am in my 50's and the alcohol content was dropped at one point to make the product less expensive due to federal excise tax on booze.)

ttfn

[csadelman]

I can't wait to make it. I do have the same exact bottles in this picture. Thanks for making this available on Instructables!!

[csadelman]

Question: Do you store this in a dark cabinet at room temperature, or in a refrigerator? Thanks.

[csadelman]

You will never go wrong with a fine Microplane zester. They are the best. It will not break on ya. Maybe it's time for a new one.

[Whatsername]

An OXO peeler works well ~ it's very sharp, and gets a thin peel w/o the white pith ~ if you're careful.

[Qcks]

A cheese grater will work inplace of a zester, and it's a bit more durable.
stopping without getting any white from the rind can be done but it takes practice.

[rusticles]

 Could one add orange juice to make it less alcoholic
but still be a liqueur?   And how do you make the viscosity?

[greenwidow]

 Very nice work on this instructable. Could inverted sugar be substituted for the sugar and water combo?

[zvillesurfer]

does the orange zest taste anything like oranges? i read about limoncello and i remember reading that it isnt sour like lemons and doesnt actually taste much like lemons at all. i would try this myself but im too young to drink. just curious.

[astrong0]

ya that's what everybody says :)

[AlissaSueK]

It is a very orange-y taste. I think the only reason limoncello doesn't taste as lemon-y is because it is missing the sour. So, it smells like lemons but is very sweet. The orange liqueur is a pretty strong orange taste though :)

[johnnywx]

How does it compare to the taste of Cointreau?

[Darren.]

So this is pretty much the same process with the http://www.instructables.com/id/Shoot-the-Rainbow-Skittles-Vodka/?

[AlissaSueK]

I've also made a limoncello! I will post an instructable soon :) Thanks for all of the comments!

[dchall8]

The lemon version of this is called Limoncello (lee mun CHEL o). I had a non alcoholic version in Boston last week. YUM! If you look hard for recipes, you'll find a site from a guy who has been to Italy looking for recipes. He found that when making the home made stuff, they don't bother with zesting the lemons. They squeeze the juice out of the lemon and toss the lemon skins (whole) into the alcohol. I bet a lime version would be good. Grapefruit??? I'm not so sure but it might be worth a try.

[kissiltur]

oh yes, limoncello... what wonderful stuff. I must check the tea towel we got in Italy that has a recipe on it. It was a while ago and I never got around to making it up. I feel quite inspired to have a go now.

[Mhbaben]

Great idea. It seems very easy. I will try it.

[watermelonhead]

Yum! I'd drink this... in... like... 10 years...

[Skyfinity]

"I've been obsessed with making liqueurs lately "
Hmmm... I can't imagine why such an obsession would come to be...
While I don't personally drink fancy stuff like that, It certainly looks very good and must be very aromatic.