Posts tagged ‘home’

The Tell-Tale Liqueur

TRUE! nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why WILL you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them. Above all was the sense of scent acute. I smelled all things in the heaven and in the earth. I smelled many things in hell. How then am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain, but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the spiny tree. It had never wronged me, but to prick me once and again. It had never given me insult. For its golden essence I had my desire. I think it was the skin! Yes, it was this! The pebbled surface shone bright amongst the dark leaves. Whenever my gaze fell upon them my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the golden orbs, and thus rid myself of the unfulfilled desire.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded — with what caution — with what foresight, with what dissimulation, I went to work! I was never kinder to the orbs than during the whole week before I flayed them. And every morning about half past six I turned the latch of the door and opened it oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient, I put in for my taloned basket, taloned so that no orb shall escape, and then I thrust in the tree. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly, very, very slowly, so that I might not drop the orbs. Having reaped my harvest, I would carefully cleanse the rough surface, and then, with a weapon festooned with a hundred sharp edges, I did skin each orb. And this I did for seven straight mornings, every morning, when the day broke. Thus I collected my quarry into vials, sousing it with ever-clear for a fortnight or two, and then fortifying it with saccharine nectar. And then I entombed it in the darkest of dark, the coldest of cold.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed, impatient as I was. Meantime the essence of the orbs intensified. It grew sweeter and sweeter, and sharper and sharper, every instant. I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of this old house, so strange a taste as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the alchemy grew stronger, stronger! I thought the vials must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me — the sound of opening the frozen vault would be heard by Andra! The orbs’ hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the freezer and snatched a vial from the cold depths. In an instant I downed the elixer, and shattered the vial to deny my transgression. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But for many minutes the fragments of the vial clinked and tinkled on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The orbs’ essence was vanquished. I examined the faceted remains. Yes, it was gone, daddy, gone. I placed my hand upon my heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. And then, through the wall, her voice:

“Sweetheart, are you sneaking some Arancello?” 

Villain!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear open the door! — here, here! — you try to resist this ambrosia!”

Yes, this is a guest post…as Andra is off having a grand time on a Girlfriend Weekend. It is officially harvest season here, and the daily flaying of the oranges has commenced (of course we squeeze the juice first!) In a sense, this is a repost, with all appreciation to Edgar Allen Poe. Below is an excerpt, but here is a link to the original post.

For those of you who’ve never tried it, arancello is Italian in origin, an orange flavored sweet liqueur. While limoncello, the lemon flavored version, is very common in the United States, We rarely see arancello anywhere. In our experiences with dining in Italy, arancello is what they often serve at the very end of the meal to cleanse the palate. Once we were introduced to it and couldn’t find it anywhere, we decided to try to make our own at home. Luckily, the sunshine smiles on our back yard orange tree enough to give us an ample supply of oranges for our tiny distillery.

Making arancello starts with the following tools: a large sealable glass container and a micro plane grater. You will also need a fine mesh strainer and some glass bottles further in the process. While many recipes call for vodka, we’ve found that Everclear makes a tastier, more rounded liqueur given time.

Arancello Ingredients

Zest of 20 oranges
500 milliters (2 cups) Everclear
1 cup water
2 cups sugar

Zest the 20 oranges with the micro plane grater. Place Everclear in the large sealable glass container and add orange zest. Store in refrigerator for 2 – 4 weeks, shaking periodically to distribute the flavor. Once the mixture appears ready (and this takes some experimentation), remove and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove impurities.

To make simple syrup, dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 cup water on the stove, stirring constantly until the sugar is fully incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

Mix together 2 cups simple syrup in 1 cup of the alcohol mixture. Place in glass bottles and chill in freezer for at least 2 months before tasting. Initially, the combination tastes like cough syrup, but given time, it becomes very sweet. The longer it is left in the freezer, the sweeter it gets. In fact, the batch we made two Christmases ago is at its peak right now.

Sip as a refreshing after dinner drink or pour over ice cream for a kick.

One final note: This process is more a technique than a recipe. You may prefer different proportions. Enjoy your time experimenting and tasting!