Grapefruit Liqueur

As I’m writing this, it is snowing hard here in the Philadelphia suburbs. With the snow whirling outside one’s window it might be difficult to conjure up images of Spring. Kyle was pondering about his European trip last Spring, specifically his first night in London. He had dinner at NOPI, which has been gushed about a bunch of times on this blog (like here, here, and here).

Among the many after-dinner cocktails and dessert wines offered at NOPI, the Stellacello Pompelmo Liqueur stood out the most. It was described as a grapefruit version of Lemoncello. The liqueur was sweet (but not too sweet!) and it had the citrus, slightly bitter flavor of grapefruit. It was a tad dangerous – it was refreshing and sippable – quite a delectable combination.

After instantly falling for the Pompelmo Liqueur, Kyle made it his mission to find a bottle to bring home. Alas, he was out of the time and resources needed to track it down. It is LONDON, sightseeing was on the agenda for the precious few days they had there. In the stores he did search for it, it was not available.

It has been about 10 months since that trip. He has kept tabs on the status of Stellacello to see if they were beginning to export their Pomplemo Liqueur to the United States. Well, sadly, they have not. It appears the liqueur isn’t sold outside of the United Kingdom. Here come the tears….

So it was time for Kyle to be proactive and attempt a homemade version of the grapefruit liqueur. This was a blind attempt, cobbled together using a few Lemoncello recipes, but substituting the grapefruit for the lemon.

The biggest issue to deal with through this process was the waiting time. Most recipes instructed you to infuse the mixture for at least 30 days before straining and enjoying. 30 DAYS!  10-plus months was already an eternity to be reunited with this grapefruit liqueur. It was time to speed up this process!!

The first thing to do was to steep the grapefruit peels in a bit of sugar. This process is similar to maceration in which you draw the liquid out the fruit by coating it in sugar. The sugar draws out the oils from the citrus peels, creating oleo saccharum. This may sound like a spell you would learn at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but, in fact, it just translates to “oil sugar”.

Kyle felt drawing out the oils of the citrus before starting the infusion process would drastically cut down on the total required steeping time. Instead of making simple syrup with sugar and water, he eliminated the water and replaced it with fresh grapefruit juice. This really amped up the grapefruit flavor in a speedy manner.

The oleo saccharum and the grapefruit syrup were combined in a bottle of vodka (Kyle used Tito’s to keep the liqueur gluten free). The concoction was immediately drinkable, but it would definitely benefit with a resting time of about a week. If you can’t wait – use it right away. Add it to a gin and tonic, it is quite a delicious touch. Hold off on sipping it by itself until it has had a bit of time to smooth out. If you feel the mixture is on the bitter side, strain out the grapefruit peels and add a little sugar – a tablespoon at a time – until you reach your optimum flavor balance. You can enjoy it now – or wait until porch season, it will be here before you know it!

Grapefruit Liqueur

 

Save Print

Ingredients

• 3 grapefruits, thoroughly washed
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 750-mL bottle vodka
• ½ cup agave nectar

Instructions

1. eel the grapefruits and slice each peel into thin strips. In a small bowl, toss the peels with ½ cup sugar. Use a wooden spoon to gently crush the peels (this will help extract the oils much faster). Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, juice the grapefruits. Strain the juice into a medium saucepan, discarding the pulp. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to one-quarter of its original volume, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add the the grapefruit peels, along with any liquid that has accumulated in the bowl. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
4. Combine grapefruit juice/peel mixture, vodka, and agave in a large glass jar. Seal and store in a cool, dark place until ready to serve. You can use the liqueur in cocktails immediately, but the liqueur will become smoother (and more dangerously drinkable) the longer you let it sit. If the mixture starts to taste too bitter, strain the peels and add more granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon at a time - until you’ve reached the desired balance of flavor.

3.5.3251

Please follow and like us: