Homemade arancello

Name: Homemade arancello
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 16 organic, unwaxed oranges; 1 litre 95% alcohol; 800 grams of granulated sugar; 1.4 litres of water

This wonderfully mellow and sweet arancello is an Italian orange liqueur. You only need a few ingredients to make arancello!

20 minutes

16 persons

Summer recipes

Gluten-free recipes

Drink recipes

Recipe homemade arancello

Made by Véronique

Published at 2021-11-18, this recipe is for 16 persons and takes 20 minutes.

Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Updated at: 2024-07-31

Let's get started

Preparation time

10 minutes

Time cooking

10 minutes

Total time

20 minutes

Preparation – 10 minutes

Use organic oranges which haven’t been coated in wax. Non-organic oranges usually have a thin wax layer to protect the fruit.

You can put non-organic oranges in a bowl with fairly hot water, then remove the wax layer with your fingers.

Clean a preserving jar well and fill it with 1 litre of 95% or 96% alcohol. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the oranges.

Tip: try to include as little white (pith) as possible. A lot of pith can cause a bitter aftertaste!

Once you have added all the orange zest to the preserving jar with the alcohol, put the lid on. Shake well (carefully) once and place the preserving jar in a dark room or cupboard.

Leave the orange zest in the preserving jar for at least 3 weeks. It’s a good idea to set a reminder on your phone, or write it on the calendar. Then proceed to the next step.

Finishing the arancello – 10 minutes

You can remove the orange zest from the preserving jar after 3 weeks. note: do not remove the zest with your hands. Use a colander and strain out the zest over a large bowl.

Fill a pan with 1. 4 litres of water and heat it. Add 800 grams of granulated sugar, stirring until it has dissolved. You don't have to let the sugar water get very hot, nor let it boil.

Once all the sugar has dissolved, let the sugar water cool to around room temperature. Now prepare the second (clean) preserving jar.

Add 500 millilitres of the alcohol and orange mixture to each preserving jar. Pour 700 millilitres of sugar water into the first jar, as soon as it has cooled down enough. Stir well, repeat this step for the second preserving jar.

Put the lids on the preserving jars and store them for another 3 to 4 weeks in a cool, dark place. Shake well once in a while.

You can store and use the finished arancello directly from the preserving jars, but the easiest way is to pour it into long, narrow bottles. Put the bottles of arancello in the freezer and serve in a nice little glass, cheers!

Also check out the recipe for homemade limoncello.

Tips!

What is the composition for homemade arancello?

The proportions are: 500 millilitres of 95% alcohol to 700 millilitres of water and 400 grams of granulated sugar.

Is there an alternative to 95% alcohol?

In addition to this strong alcohol, you can also use good quality vodka (with the highest possible alcohol percentage).

What is the total alcohol content of the arancello?

Because it is diluted with sugar water, you eventually end up with a drink of between 35% and 40% alcohol. This is strong enough not to freeze in the freezer!

Where can you buy bottles with 95% or 96% alcohol?

These are not for sale in the supermarket, but may be sourced online or found in specialist shops. Availability varies from country to country. Make sure that you do not buy denatured alcohol, and only buy alcohol that is suitable for consumption.