Introduction: 44 Orange Liqueur Recipe
While researching orange liqueurs, I came across a basic recipe for one called "44 Orange" and had to try it.
It is a traditional european apertif made using an orange, coffee beans, sugar, and grain alcohol (vodka can also be used in a pinch). Some recipes call for cloves, cinnamon, and honey, but I will probably wait for my next batch to use some of these.
Step 1: Ingredients
Ingredients:
1 Large Orange
6 Tbsp Sugar
44 Coffee Beans
4 Cups Grain Alcohol/ Vodka (highest proof you can find)
You Will Need:
A mason jar, or other airtight container
Knife
Veggie Wash (Optional)
Step 2: Wash Your Orange!
I recommend buying organic produce because it yields the best flavor but any kind of orange will do. Remember to wash it thoroughly, preferably with a fruit/veggie wash. This is important because the entire orange will be submerged in alcohol and whatever is on the orange peel will end up IN your final product.
Step 3: Stabbing the Orange
Poke 44 holes in the orange and insert a coffee bean in each opening. This was more fun that I originally imagined. Then put the orange inside of the jar. Fill the jar with 4 cups of grain alcohol/vodka. If you are using a regular-sized mason jar, this should take you pretty close to the tap..
Step 4: Add the Sugar
Now add your sugar over the top of the alcohol. The original recipe called for 44 sugar cubes but I substituted 6 tablespoons of sugar. Because sugar cubes come in so many sizes, the amount of sugar can too easily get out of hand, so proceed with caution. I found 6 tbsps to be a good starting amount and more can be added later to taste.
Step 5: Remember the Date
It is a good idea to put a tag on the jar somewhere so that you remember the date you created this concoction. You will need to store it for 44 days in a dark, cool place before removing the orange/coffeebeans. Be sure to shake it up every once in awhile to ensure the sugar dissolves.
Step 6: Storing and Enjoying
After the 44 days are up, remove the orange and coffee beans, and strain the rest. If you used Everclear (grain alcohol), it will be much too strong to enjoy straight, so add at least one cup of water. Some may prefer a bit more water to tone it down. If you used vodka it should not be too powerful but it is really up to taste.
Put it in a new bottle and enjoy it chilled!
39 Comments
3 years ago
Hello,
Does this liquor gets spoiled after a while? How long it lasts without preservatives? It is a delicious drink that I don't think it will lasts too long in the bar cart, but just to let my friends know. I am planning to give it as Xmas gifts.
Thank you!
13 years ago on Introduction
Very interesting, i can see why its called 44 Orange liqueur. As to the organic/non-organic argument, i believe the only noticeable flavor enhancement being via GM food, which contrary to popular and media belief is safer than spraying organic fertilizer (i.e. poo) or pesticides of any nature. i'd also like to point out that the most popular pesticide used in orange production is so harmless you would die of Vitamin C poisoning before you died from the pesticide.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Hmm--you say "most popular pesticide used in orange production is so harmless you would die of Vitamin C poisoning before you died from the pesticide"
Funny!--Isn't that what they used to say about DDT?
I am afraid you will never convince those like me that suffer from permanent nerve damage from pesticides that any chemical pesticide is harmless. They just haven't used them long enough to find out what kind of damage they will do yet---but they will.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
A pesticide that doesn't kill, right. Would you mind linking us to the MSDS for the pesticide(s) your referring to?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
poo is the only organic fert ? I think there are plenty of ways to deter pests without spraying chems or gene mods .
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Poo isnt the only organic fertilizer. Although there are other ways an genetic modification would last almost indefinitely or at-least a few hundred generations, chemical deterrents are also often simpler to apply, ie dissolved in water and sprayed on, as opposed to introducing a new animal to kill the pests, the new animal itself having a high chance of becoming a pest itself.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Currently monoculture and scale may be the main issues due to a lack or unwillingness to understand how things work together. I agree ,there are many examples where introducing a new "beneficial' insect or animal has turned out terribly. Again , due to a lack of understanding . Asian carp anyone? A cheaper and "easier" way often end up being just the opposite .
As others are saying, there ,of course are many ways to use the term Organic.
12 years ago on Introduction
my orange didnt sink :( but looks interesting, half way through now!!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
My Orange floated too and I was worried about it being exposed to the air for that long so I sank it with a shot-glass. Seemed to work well, I just had to remember not to be too violent when turning the bottle at mix time as to not break or chip the shot-glass. You can just see it in first few pictures I posted.
12 years ago on Introduction
Was day 44 today and I split my brew.
Smells and tastes divine.
I wasn't sure about the coffee beans but I think because they are whole that the flavour isn't harsh or bitter. Just a pleasant coffee smell and after-taste that's very slightly smokey.
I think if you used some of this in a chocolate mousse that you would win awards :D
In case the captions don't come through...
Picture one is Day 22, Half way and the vodka has turned a light Yellow.
All the other pictures are on Day 44.
The discoloration in the picture of the sliced orange is the coffee beans staining the flesh, not rot.
I yielded slightly less than cup for each of the 4 bottles, my original jar was not big enough for the orange and vodka so I have topped them off with fresh vodka and will leave it for the weekend to prove a bit more.
12 years ago on Introduction
I made this recipe 30 days ago. I added some cloves for depth and it tastes wonderfull!
13 years ago on Step 2
really organic does not taste any different from non. its all the same varieties as the non organic if you want a better tasting fruit or veg go with a kind that is not sold in the supermarket.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
...Often non-organic produce are sprayed with pesti&fungicides or wax coated with said substances to keep pests and fungus away ...Sounds like a good idea but I can guarantee you do not want to eat the stuff. Lots of these -icides will accumilate in the tissues of animals that eat them (and in higher concentrations in the animals that eat those animals and so on) - seeping unwashed products in alcohol will ensure you get a higher dose than would be normal! ...Wash wash wash your fruit and veg. ... PS: I have never head of this fruit/veg wash - does anyone know if it is available in the UK?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I'm only addressing the Vegetable Wash. It is getting harder to find, used to be available in all the stores here and because people just didn't bother buying it, it has become more scarce. But the internet has made it easy to find, thankfully there are enough people willing to buy it on-line that for now there is a good supply.
Perhaps another reason it has become a bit scarce is there has been a lot of news about the stuff not doing anything. I watched a program where they tried three methods of "washing" fruit and vegetables and then tested for traces of pesticide.
1.) Spray with a hose
2.) Commercially available Fruit & Veg. Wash
3.) Dish Soap & Water
The differences between all three were negligible, all still had pesticide traces. The consensus was peeling fruits & Vegetables, and those that cannot be peeled should be avoided by people with sensitivities to chemicals. Just telling you what I saw.
As for Fruit & Veg wash in the UK: Veggi Wash Fruit Too Fruit & Vegetable Wash Concentrate 500ml £2.98 at Organic Shops everywhere.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Thanks - I'll take a pass on the Fruit/Veg wash and stick to soap/water. ... The 'negligible' differences part has dissuaded me - what's point of buying a special wash if it barely makes a difference?!
... Do you remember what programme you saw this comparison on?
... I wish I had access to a lab in order to be able to test the claims on food and products (contains more X/Y/Z, less A/B/C etc). All the claims, in my humble opinion, are useless unless there is a SIGNIFICANT difference between the wonder-product and the standard stuff.
... One of my favourite annoyances is the graph on the side of cartons of Welch's Purple Grape juice that compare the antioxidants in Welch's to methink tomatoes, apples and other grapes. The graph either has no numbers or numbers without the SI quantity they represent ie: mg, g, kg (I do not have a carton to check at the moment). This bugs me no end because for all I the difference could be measured in yoctograms for all I know and in my opinion that would make spending the extra for a 'higher' antioxidant content pointless. I only buy the stuff because it tastes nice.
... Anyway - rant over! Thanks for the info x
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I know I'm really late on the reply here but keep forgetting to check for replies to my comments!
I was really disappointed to see I had been wasting my money on the "expensive" washes available. (expensive relative to alternative i.e. soap & water)
Like you I'm always skeptical of claims on labels, my pet peeve is "New & Improved" as it usually is not New after all, it is the same product but supposedly improved, and improved is often questionable. I find the Dawn Soap which I grew up with is now New and Improved Concentrated, yet it seems to clean less effectively than the unimproved version of old.
As for what program it was on? I do not recall, however I called my mother and asked her if she remembered as we discussed it the day after it aired. She did not remember but had some excellent news for me about the vegetable wash recipe she saw on Oprah. Apparently Grapefruit Seed Extract is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound! Helps protect against E-Coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecium and surprisingly a lot of other scary stuff. The USDA has approved it for this use. I think this should be another News Program!
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp. baking soda
20 drops of grapefruit seed extract*
Combine all ingredients in a large container. Then, transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. Spray mixture on produce, and rinse thoroughly after 5 to 10 minutes.
* Readily available at health food stores.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Organic produce still uses pesticides. They just have to use "organic" pesticides which doesn't really mean anything. No matter what you like to buy you should always wash your produce. Even if you buy directly from the farmer, you still want to get the germs off.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
This is not completely true. Some organic farms, like the one a few miles from me, use ONLY Soap & Predator Insects. The township is not even allowed to put salt on the road in front of the farm in winter due to run-off and the possibility that the salt or chemicals mixed in the salt may find it's way into the soil.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
You know I've been eating "non-Organic" things all my life, and I am "very Healthy" according to blood tests done for cancer (I get screened due to family past). I drink about 4-8 Dr. Pepper soda's a day, and eat steak, chicken, corn, rice, and various snacks like chocolate bars now and again, and I really like sitting and munching on Oatmeal Crisp Almond.... the reason I'm saying all this is that I don't believe there to be a true LASTING benefit to organic things.
Has anyone who is concerned for their health and well being enough to go out and spend "Organic" prices for their food, looked at studies about what you inhale simply by breathing in the air around you? Or what is lurking in your very own washroom.... kind of makes those -icides look like child's play.
I also believe that cancer is not caused by this one thing or that, I believe cancer is a result of abusing your body with chemicals like processed meats, canned food, fast food....etc. Processed things are horrible, they contain fake ingredients, and are toxic to the body in some cases, if not all.
With all that aside, this ible looks pretty good. If I was a drinker, I might give this a shot.... but then again... alcohol is about as good for you as eating that non-organic apple..... (Moderation is a joke, if you want the benefit of wine, go get the supplement that contains FOR more than your wine does anyways)
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Usually organic produce also means local so it is allowed to ripen on the plant and doesn't have to be the species bred or engineered for shipping. That said, some of the current generation genetically engineered fruits are mighty tasty. I tasted those new hillbilly apples with multiple copies of it's own genome for the first time and I may never buy an organic apple again.