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A glass of homemade blood orange liqueur, also called arancello rossa, sits in a cocktail glass next to a small pile of oranges. There is a bottle of the liqueur in the background.

Homemade Blood Orange Liqueur (Sicilian Arancello Rossa)

Lindsey Neumayer
This homemade blood orange liqueur recipe, also called arancello rossa, is bright, flavorful, and almost makes you completely forget about it’s zingy cousin, limoncello. It’s made with real blood oranges and a homemade blood orange simple syrup, so it packs a 1-2 punch of blood orange flavor!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Infusion Time 30 days
Total Time 30 days 40 minutes
Course Beverages, Cocktail
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 38 ounces
Calories 89 kcal

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Equipment

  • 1 infusion jar
  • 1 microplane zester
  • 1 fine mesh strainer non-reactive
  • 1 cheesecloth optional
  • 1 airtight storage jar
  • 1 kitchen scale

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces blood orange simple syrup Can use up to 24 ounces of syrup for a sweeter liqueur
  • 1 litre 100-proof vodka
  • 30 g blood orange zest from 10 - 12 oranges, 2.5 inches in diameter

Instructions
 

INFUSING THE LIQUOR

  • Wash and scrub blood oranges to remove any dirt, wax, or impurities.
  • Carefully zest 10 - 12 oranges to get 30 g of orange zest, or about 4 TBSP. Save the oranges to make blood orange syrup or juice!
  • Add the zest to a large infusion jar.
  • Pour the liter of 100-proof vodka overtop of the zest.
  • Seal the jar tightly and give it a good shake.
  • Allow the infusion to sit in a cool dark place for up to 1 month, shaking it once every day or so.

PREPARING THE LIQUEUR

  • When the infusion is ready, strain the zest out of the liquor using a non-reactive fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard the zest once it’s fully drained.
  • Add in 2 cups of blood orange simple syrup, then give your liqueur a taste to see if it’s sweet enough for you.
  • Add in up to 1 additional cup of simple syrup, plain or blood orange, if you have it!
  • Store the liqueur in an airtight bottle in the fridge for up to 1 year.

Notes

Can’t Wait a Month? Unlike with liquor infusions, longer = better when making liqueurs, but you can speed up the process by a few weeks. After 14 days you can proceed with making your blood orange liqueur. The flavor won’t be as pronounced, but it will still work!
Using your leftover zested oranges:
Juice the rest of the oranges to make a blood orange simple syrup or a blood orange juice. You can even freeze the juice into cubes to use later in the year!
Choose Organic:
Whenever possible, choose organic oranges for making recipes like arancello that use the zest of the fruit. This is because most pesticides will be on the outside of the citrus, on the zest.
Cleaning Oranges:
Alternatively, you can quickly blanch your oranges by boiling water. Add the oranges a few at a time to the pot of boiling water for up to 45 seconds, then carefully remove them with a strainer or slotted spoon and dunk them into a bowl of ice water.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg
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Keyword: aperitif, liqueur