Orange liqueur (Arancello)

I got this arancello recipe from a friend a couple of years ago but I never try it until last January. Why? well.. I gave the recipe to a friend and he made it, I fall in love with the result and decided to give it a try using all the citrus I had around the house. The main ingredient were oranges so I called arancello but it has a little bit of lemon, clementin and grapefruit so technically it should be call citruscello (new word may be?)

It is very, very easy to make and very very nice to drink, I have one little shot every night before I go to bed. I also use it to flavor different recipes such as sponge cakes, buttercream, ice creams, etc. You can also used to give it as a gift, find a nice bottle, fill it up, close it and there you go you have a very nice present that everybody will enjoy.

As you imagine you can use any combination you want and you can make it around your agenda since it is not going to hurt if you leave the peels 1 or 2 more week with the alcohol. I only have 1 liter left so I think is time to start a new one next week, I have some orange peels in the freezer waiting to be immerse in alcohol already. This time I will use only orange peels and I will reduce the alcohol final concentration by 10% I think is going to give me a more delicate product, I am also thinking to put some cloves to give another layer of complexity to this wonderful liqueur.

ARANCELLO (ORANGE LIQUEUR)

Makes 4 (750 ml) bottles.

Ingredients

750 ml 100% ethanol 200 proof, you can also use neutral grain spirit (95%/190 proof) or vodka (40%/80 proof) Peels of 10-15 medium oranges (I used 10 oranges, 2 lemons, 4 clementines, and one grapefruit, basically any citrus I had around at that time) 1.5 liters of filtered water 1.36 kg of granulated sugar (can replace some of the sugar with honey)

Preparation

1. Soak the citrus peels: Scrub the oranges with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt and other undesirable elements.
2. Peel the oranges, making sure not to include any of the white pith. Juice the oranges and reserve for other use.
3. Put the peels in the bottom of the container. Pour in the alcohol and cover. Allow to rest for 14 days, in a cool, dark location (you can go anywhere from 7 to 21 days).
4. SYRUP: Make this the night of the 13 day or during the morning of day 14. In a pot, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a fast simmer for a couple of minutes or until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
5. Strain the orange peels from the alcohol and discard. Pour the alcohol into the pot with the sugar syrup and stir. Pour into the prepared wine bottles, cork, and store in the freezer. You can use any kind of bottle you have around, like the plastic ones where cheap rum comes, they are ok.

At this point you can start drinking your arancello or you can let it rest for a couple of weeks before you try it. I did that with mine and the flavor after 3 weeks (I was out of town) was better than the flavor during day 1, I do not know if there is any explanation for that...