Let’s Make Christmas,
Santa’s Little Helper
and
Home-made Orange Liqueur
This recipe has been entered into Vanessa’s
This recipe is so easy and yet it’s flavour and good looks belies this fact ~ make it now and decant it in to decorative bottles in December and you and the lucky recipients will be rewarded with an orange liqueur to rival and better all the well known commercial brands. I will post photos later on after I have decanted mine, but for now, here is my recipe how to make this stunning little boozy number! It has been Santa’s little helper on more than one occasion I can tell you too….
This vibrant orange liqueur is wonderful when served over ice, over ice cream, with soda water or lemonade or when splashed into or into festive fare…..and it looks pretty stunning when decanted into pretty bottles with all the decorative trimmings…..bows, tags, labels, dried flowers etc etc. I always make a batch or two of this every year and I know that if I didn’t there would be some pretty disappointed faces come Christmas Eve…….Santa for one would be devastated!
So here it is, with jingle bells, baubles and tinsel, another home-made Christmas gift; this needs to be made now in order for it to have mellowed by Christmas…….I give my jars a shake or two twice a week to keep the flavours mingling and happy. I will be posting many more home-made gifts over the next few weeks, and I hope you are all in the festive gift making spirit ~ no need for commercial food and drink gifts, home-made is so much better and far more personal…….although small artisan companies are also something to be considered and they need our support too ~ I often buy good artisan cheese and then make a chutney to go with it, as well as cheese biscuits and voila, a cheese lovers hamper, but that idea is to follow on later……see you soon,
Karen
Home-made Orange Liqueur
(aka Santa’s Little Helper!)
Ingredients:
1 bottle dry white wine
600ml amber rum, dark rum
300g (100ozs) golden caster sugar
8 oranges, unwaxed
Method:
Peel large strips of zest from the oranges with a vegetable peeler. Divide the orange zest between 2 sterilised jars or wide necked bottles.
Add the sugar, rum and wine ~ again, dividing it equally ~ I used 2x 500ml kilner jars.
Seal the jars and give them a good shake ~ store in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks before decanting the liqueur through a sieve into sterilised decorative bottles; discard the orange peel, or use it in poached or stewed fruits.
(I sometimes dry the orange peel in a cool oven overnight and add it to sugar to be used for cakes and pies, or add it to stews and daubes etc.)
NB: Whilst the liqueur is maturing, give the jars/bottles a good shake once or twice a week.
