I have been holding on to this recipe for a while- it is a summer drink, but I started it back in January… Hm.
Vin d’Orange is a sultry fortified wine made from Seville oranges, also known as marmalade oranges. As such, it has a wonderfully refreshing orange taste with a hint of bitterness (but just a hint). If you’re not a fan of that marmalade flavour, you can use straight Navel oranges instead, but in that case I would reduce the sugar to 4/5 lb, as they are much sweeter fruits.
Seville oranges are typically only in season for a short time from December to February, so I started this liqueur back in the dark days of winter. Of course, back in January I: a) didn’t have a food blog and b) didn’t know if this experiment was going to turn out delicious or disastrous.
I did, however, take a quick snap of my experiment. Not the most quality photo, but back then it was a strictly iPhone/instagram endeavour…
Needless to say, it is now my favourite summer sip- served on the rocks it is supremely refreshing and the perfect accompaniment to a sunny day in the garden.
If you can’t wait that long and want to get started right away, I would use Navel oranges, cut a bit of the sugar and forego some of the bitter edge of the Sevilles. You can always make another batch later with Sevilles and stock your cellar 😉
This recipe is a snap to put together, so the most challenging part is just assembling your equipment. To make this liqueur you will need the following:
- a 5 litre (approx. 5.25 quarts for our American cousins) glass, stainless steel or enamel container with a lid (I used a few very large glass jars, previously used to store all my different flours- well cleaned, obviously)
- a long handled spoon, for stirring aaaaall the way to the bottom of said cauldron
- a strainer
- cheesecloth
- a knife and cutting board
- clean bottles for storage (I like to use my husband’s old Scotch bottles since they are built for reusable t-corks with plastic tops and look rather funky but you can use mason jars, swing top Grolsch-type bottles, or even old wine bottles if you snag a bag of t-corks to seal them)
Another thing to note is that you don’t need to buy fancy wine for this recipe. You can, obviously, if you really want to, but since the wine is mixed with so many other things, it doesn’t need to be an amazing wine for this recipe to turn out well (think sangria…). I used a 4 litre box o’ white wine and the results are delicious- the end product ends up being far more than the sum of its parts. (That being said, wandering in to the liquor store on a gloomy Tuesday after work and buying 4 litres of box wine and a bottle of vodka did get me some side glances…)
(Oh, wait, now that I think of it I believe I bought a 5 litre box of box of wine. I guess I thought I needed to some extra wine to sip while making the liqueur. Yep, that sounds like something I would do. Hey, it was January! It was probably dark and pouring out and I needed inner warming.)
(Now, it’s sunny out and, obviously, I need inner cooling… in the form of chilled liqueur. I guess the moral of this story is that you can make just about any time ‘time for a treat’ whether it be booze, delicious fatty things, or decadent sweet things. This is why my pants size goes up every year.)
| Vin d'Orange | Print |
- 3 L white or rosé wine
- 750 ml vodka
- 1 lb sugar
- 8 Seville oranges, washed and quartered
- 1 small lemon, washed and quartered
- 1 small orange, washed and quartered
- 1 vanilla bean, split in half
- Pour the wine, vodka, and sugar in to a large container and stir to dissolve the sugar completely.
- Cut the oranges and lemon in half, then cut the halves into quarters.
- Add all the fruit and the vanilla bean to the alcohol mixture and stir well.
- Cover the container and store it in a dark, cool place for 30 days, stirring every now and then.
- After 30 days, taste a bit of your vin d'orange- at this point the liquid should like slightly bitter orange. If it lacks in orange flavour, it may need to sit a few more days- up to 10 more.
- Using a strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, strain the vin d'orange. If you would like to reduce sediment, you can strain it again through a paper coffee filter, switching out filters when they become full.
- Decant the strained vin d'orange into well cleaned bottles. Seal and store in a dark cupboard for a few months to age, up to a few years. The longer you wait, the more mellow and smooth the flavours will become!
Adapted from The Kitchn
This looks amazing, and I’m definitely going to try it. I already know I’ll like it because I love oranges! 🙂 Cosmetically appealing (as are all your posts!)…it’s easy to make…and what a wonderful ‘twist’ on what would only be a ‘glass of white wine’ for your guests, or yourself! 😉 Love this!
One thing I’d like to ask. How long does it keep, if you make a big batch of it? Can you bottle it with a cork or twist cap and store it? In the refrigerator, or out?
Thanks!
I like to make a big batch and then store it for up to a year or two in a cool, dark spot. No refrigeration needed, but the longer you wait, the more mellow the flavours will be. Then again, I usually can’t wait that long… I busted into these bottles after a (painstaking) 3 months 😛