You can't miss this homemade Mandarin liqueur recipe, the lovely Licor de mandarina drink, and end the Christmas dinner with the taste and aroma of our favorite holiday fruit. It is surprisingly easy to prepare, making it a wonderful holiday gift or a welcome hostess gift.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jun 11, 2007
Why we ❤️ it
We know it's Christmas in the DR when mandarins show up on roadside stands, corner fruit vendors, and supermarkets. This aromatic fruit has become a symbol of the holidays for Dominicans.
At my own parental home, mandarins would start arriving as the first ones hit the fruit stands, and it was time for my mom to start the process of making this wonderful Mandarin orange homemade liqueur that makes a fantastic digestif after the many heavy meals to be shared in the season.
What are mandarin oranges?
The mandarin is a citrus fruit similar to the orange, with thicker skin and sweeter and juicier pulp. It resembles a small flattened orange fruit with a bright orange color.
Mandarins are eaten as a snack fruit and can be made into mandarin juice, or in mandarin orange cakes.
Mandarin oranges and homemade liqueur.
Serving suggestions
Served chilled, this is a smooth drink and a delicious digestive for Christmas dinner, or any occasion. If you wish, you can prepare extra bottles of this fruit liqueur, since it is an excellent and economical edible gift, or take them to dinners to which you are invited.
Top tips
- Preparation: To make homemade tangerine liqueur, the peel is soaked in rum for a few days to extract its flavor and aroma. Then, it is mixed with syrup. Preparing it takes a few days, but it is worth every minute of the wait.
- Color: The color of the liqueur depends on what rum you use. I prefer dark rum, but you can use what you have at hand.
- Sugar: Use white sugar if you want it lighter in color and brown if you want it darker.
- Storing: Refrigerated, homemade tangerine liqueur can last up to one month.
About this recipe
Learned from my mom, this easy-to-make drink mixes the flavor of Dominican rum and the sweetness of mandarins.
As a reader commented once: "This is a very cool way to have your rum without a frown. A lady's drink..." although I think the gentlemen will enjoy it in equal measure.
Don't miss the other Dominican drink recipes in our collection.
Salud!
Video
Recipe
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Licor de Mandarina [Video+Recipe] Mandarin Orange Liqueur
Ingredients
- ½ cup mandarin peels
- 2 cup golden rum
- 1 cup sugar (white, granulated)
Instructions
1. Steeping
Scraping with a spoon or knife, remove the white part of the inner side of the mandarin orange peel. This prevents the liqueur from tasting bitter, and gives it a better color in the end.
2. Mixing
- Mix rum and mandarin orange peels in a clean jar. Place in a covered jar in the refrigerator for about five days.
3. Boiling
- Mix 1 cup of water, sugar, and a small piece of one of the rinds from the rum and boil over low heat until half of the water evaporates. Discard the peel and let the syrup cool.
4. Straining
- Strain the rum using a clean piece of cloth or fine mesh strainer and discard the rinds. Mix the syrup with the rum.
5. Serving
- Serve chilled
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More recipes with rum
Rum is one of the traditional, ancestral Dominican drinks, and it appears in several of our recipes. If you're looking for more homemade rum-based drinks, don't miss Mamajuana, another amazing Dominican liqueur, Guavaberry, the star drink of Dominican Cocolo culture, and Ponche crema, the Dominican eggnog.
For some non-traditional options, don't miss this quail with rum and apple, Puerto Rican Piña colada, an easy rum cake, a tasty rum BBQ sauce, and this spiced rum. And don't miss my orancello recipe for something non-traditional.
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