Blood Orangello

I think I've mentioned before (or at least it's mentioned in currently unpublished Instructables) that I use Tito's Vodka in my recipes for a few reasons: it's not unreasonably priced for the quality (according to my husband it is a good sipping vodka, very smooth) and Tito's lends itself well to infusing (according to a friend who is an experienced liqueur/cordial maker).

This recipe is basically the same as what you would do for Limoncello---which I did also make using Meyer lemons, however I haven't found a way to take the final photographs of the Limoncello that doesn't look a little gross, so that Instructable may never see the light of day.

"Cellos" are typically made by steeping citrus peels in vodka for several weeks and then mixing with a sugar-water mixture and sitting some more. It's a long process that can be sped up with a few tweaks.

It's a little early for Blood Orange season (usually starts in November) and after I found a Moro variety produced in Australia a few weeks ago at Whole Foods, I haven't seen them since.

peels from 6-10 blood oranges

juice from blood oranges

2 cups of decent vodka

1 1/2-2 cups caster sugar

2 cups of water

Adjust amounts based on your needs/container size. You also might want to adjust the sweetness of the simple syrup if you like a sweeter orangecello.

Before you begin you'll want to scrub the oranges to remove any wax on the skin. Use a sharp peeler or knife and peel the oranges, you only want to remove the very top layer of the peel. The second image shows you two sections of peel, the left is how you want your peels to look. The right peel needs to be cleaned up to remove the pith.

Add peels to a large jar along with the vodka and cover and place in a cool dark place for 7-14 days. After a couple of days you'll notice the red from the peels disappears.

After a couple of days or weeks, make the simple syrup for your liqueur. Take a couple fresh blood oranges and juice them. Pour juice into a medium sized saucepan along with the sugar and water. Stir to dissolve and then place over a high heat and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, for a few minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly and set aside to cool.

Or follow this recipe for a Blood Orange Simple Syrup.

Strain the vodka to remove the peel and then combine the vodka and simple syrup. Pour into sterilized bottles and keep in the freezer for best taste. Under the right conditions, the liqueur could last up to a year in the freezer.