Bloody Marmalade Vodka & Sicilian Mule Cocktail

And still the blood orange recipes keep coming. This is the last one, for this year anyway. Some time ago I was gifted a whole case of blood oranges by Redbelly Citrus, purveyors of fine Australian Blood Oranges. Over the ensuing weeks, I made a variety of recipes as well as just enjoying them in their natural state. One recipe was for Blood Orange Marmalade. It was my first attempt at making marmalade so I followed the recipe faithfully and ended up with over 3kg of marmalade. That’s a lot. After potting up several jars and freezing yet more containers of it (yes, you can freeze jam), I still had a lot of marmalade to use. What to do? Make an infused vodka of course!

There is nothing to this recipe (well instructions really) except to say that you should use a good quality vodka so the resulting infused vodka is smooth and mellow, not firewater in your throat. The sweetness of the marmalade allows this to be sipped neat and enjoyed at the end of a meal, much as you would a liqueur. It can be used in any number of mixed drinks but I have created a new cocktail to celebrate the heritage of blood oranges and to say thank you to Redbelly.

Bloody Marmalade Vodka

• 1 x 7500 ml bottle good quality vodka
• 1 cup blood orange marmalade

Method

1. Decant off 1 and 1/4 cups of vodka from the bottle and reserve for another use.
2. Add marmalade to the vodka bottle, seal and give a good shake. You may find it easier to mix in a jug and then return to the bottle.
3. Shake bottle once or twice a day for the first week to dissolve sugars in marmalade.
4. After a week, set bottle aside in a dark cupboard and allow marmalade to steep for several weeks or even months. Turn occasionally when you remember.
5. When ready, strain vodka through cheesecloth or a brand new kitchen wipe (Chux) into a clean, sterilised bottle. I found an empty wine bottle works well for this. Discard strained pith and peel.
6. The vodka should have an orange hue to it and be slightly viscous due to the addition of the sweet marmalade. Your Bloody Marmalade Vodka is now ready to drink!

Sicilian Mule Cocktail

There are several varieties of blood oranges including the Arancia Rossa di Sicilia (Red Orange of Sicily), which has been given Protected Geographic Status. The Mancini Family, who tirelessly promote blood oranges and Australian citrus in general via their business Redbelly Citrus, are also of Sicilian heritage.

I have created a cocktail using Bloody Marmalade Vodka, that’s a twist on a Moscow Mule. Mules are known to be stubborn and bloody minded so it’s only fitting that a cocktail using blood orange as an ingredient should be named a Sicilian Mule. With the grated ginger, it’s a drink with a kick.

Ingredients

• 30 ml Bloody Marmalade Vodka
• 20 ml lime juice
• 1/4 tspn fresh ginger, grated
• ginger beer to top up (approx 120ml)
• blood orange juice ice cubes

Method

1. Place vodka and grated ginger in bottom of glass and gently bruise.
2. Add lime juice, top with ginger beer and give a gentle stir. Add blood orange ice cubes to flavour and garnish.

Enjoy as an afternoon aperitif. As the ice cubes melt, it will add a pretty pink tinge to the drink, if it lasts that long.