While sloe gin and most other fruit infusions take months to develop their flavour, orange liqueur is ready in a day. The resulting liqueur is like the famous Cointreau.
A rather pretty alternative is kumquat vodka, which needs at least twice as much sugar as the fruit contains a lot of water. This drink, or something very much like it, is a favourite in Corfu.
Orange liqueurs are good on their own but much better in a long drink made with, well, orange juice. Pour a shot or two of the liqueur into a glass, pour on fresh orange juice, stir and add crushed ice.
Ingredients
- 1 orange, unwaxed and as shiny and fresh as possible
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 350 ml vodka
How to Make It
- Use a potato peeler to slice off the zest of an orange, pop it into a 350 ml Kilner jar, sprinkle on the sugar and top up with vodka. Close the lid and shake until the sugar has dissolved. Place in a dark cupboard and shake once a day.
- Remove the peel after no more than a week as the liqueur can become cloudy. If you want to drink it immediately then it can be ready in half an hour if you warm the jar in hot water.
