Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur

A Perfect Drink for the Fall and Holiday Season

So Here’s the thing: I don’t drink alcohol.
I don’t generally like it but the obvious reason is that with all my gut issues, alcohol is just not in my cards. However, I LOVE brewing spirits and alcohol like this Festive Spiced Orange liqueur!

It makes me feel like a cheeky witch, brewing potions in a forest. Adding all these seemingly random spices and ingredients together in a jar. Wrapping it up, and putting it in a dark and spooky cupboard to ferment. After weeks of waiting, it’s ready, like magic!
And I love that a homemade brew like this Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur is always a gift people appreciate. 😊

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WARNING: This is not a GERD-friendly recipe.

Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur: the perfect Christmas gift

The Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur is easy to make and low effort. It’s packed with tangy citrusy flavour and pungent wintery spices with cinnamon and vanilla adding a sweet delicate touch.
If you’re short of ideas for your loved ones’ Christmas gifts and you know they like a delicious flavourful seasonal drink – the Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur is just what you need.

You can create it in big batches and it lasts for a very long time, in fact, the longer you wait when it’s in its final airtight bottle the better the flavours will be as they have time to fully settle together. I tend to make the Spiced Orange Liqueur around late summertime or the beginning of autumn so if I decide to gift it away for Christmas, it has a couple of months to infuse.

Cheeky Ingredient swaps

Virgin: Ditch the vodka and use water and fresh orange juice. Instead of infusing the spices and orange peels in alcohol over two weeks, you boil all the ingredients in water and let it simmer for a good 20-30 minutes! While you’re creating your spiced syrup, squeeze the juice out of the oranges you peeled which you’re going to add to the syrup once it’s cooled down. Sieve through and enjoy your virgin spiced orange drink.
Lemon: If you fancy a fresher taste, replace the orange peels with lemons!
Add more spices: If you want a different taste profile you can add different spices and aromatics, like Anise and ginger!

Now, grab your ingredients and your cauldron and enjoy this festive experience!

If you’re in for more seasonal and festive recipes, have a look at my downloadable section for some cheeky treats 😊

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Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur

Bean

Warm up the holidays with this Festive Spiced Orange Liqueur, an indulgent treat that's perfect for gifting or sipping on a cosy night in!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 14 1

Cook Time 10

Total Time 14 1 10

Course Drinks

Cuisine European, Italian

Servings 1 Litre

Equipment

1 Large airtight jar
1 Large saucepan
1 Sieve
1 Coffee filter or similar
1 Funnel
4 Airtight Bottles of 250ml each

Ingredients

1 Lt Vodka or 90% alcohol
500 gr Caster sugar
500 ml Water
5 Medium oranges Organic oranges if you can – the less chemicals on the peels the better!
5 Cardamon Seeds
5 Cloves
1 Vanilla pod
1 Cinnamon stick

Instructions

Thoroughly wash the oranges and lightly shave the peels into thin layers with a potato peeler or a small sharp knife. Make sure not to cut too deep because the white layer of the peel can give your liquor a bitter aftertaste. We want just the orange-coloured layer.
Drop the peel thins into a big airtight jar with the cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds and cloves. Make a surfaced vertical cut through the vanilla pod along the length of the pod to release the flavour. Add it all to the jar. Lastly, pour the vodka in and firmly close the jar.
Leave to rest in a cool dry and dark place for a week, shaking the container once every day to ensure the spices and peels correctly infuse the vodka.
Once a week has passed, it's time to make a syrup with water and sugar. Pour the two ingredients into a medium pot and dissolve the sugar on medium heat. Once it's ready, cool it down and then pour it into the jar.
Leave to rest for another week, and shake the container daily as we did previously. Once this second week has passed, sieve the ingredients through with a fine sieve and coffee filter to have a smooth and clear drink. Make sure to get rid of any bits of seeds or peels.
Pour the aromatic liquor into your airtight bottles and add a small piece of a cinnamon stick into the bottle to decorate and infuse the liquor further.
Your Festive Spiced Orange Liquor is ready to be enjoyed!
Store in an airtight container, in a cool and dry place. Consume within 3-4 years.