Orange liqueur

Orange spirit from the peels of organic Sicilian oranges

The orange spirit from the Ehringhausen distillery captures the essential oils from the peels of organic Sicilian oranges. Full-fruited and slightly tart at 40% ABV, distilled on a base of our own house-made grain spirit. It pairs well with dark chocolate and in winter cooking.

Orange spirit is a distillate made from orange peel and is therefore different from a fruit brandy, as citrus fruits cannot be fermented effectively. The peels are macerated in a mild grain spirit made from local grain and subsequently distilled. What remains is the orange in its concentrated form.

Full-fruited, juicy, spicy

On the nose, there is ripe orange—dense and warm—accompanied by the resinous sharpness that jumps into the air when you peel an orange.

On the palate, it becomes full-fruited and broader than its lemony sibling, with a slightly tart edge on the finish. It is precisely this tartness that distinguishes it from everything found on the shelf labeled as orange liqueur. Fragrant, resinous, and spicy, it lingers on the palate without ever becoming sweet.

The bitterness comes from the peel itself, which contains bitter compounds alongside the essential oils. With lemon spirit, one must avoid them; here, a hint is allowed to remain, as it provides a counterpoint to the fruit's sweetness. Fruity and slightly tart at the same time—that is the whole trick.

The aroma is in the peel

Anyone who has ever peeled an orange has smelled it, as tiny oil glands burst when the peel is bent.

That very scent is the raw material. It resides exclusively in the outer, colored layer, while the juice and pulp contribute nothing to a spirit. This is why only the peel ends up in the maceration, and why the quality of the fruit is so important.

The oranges come from Sicily, where the sun fills the oil glands more densely than in cooler growing regions. The base, however, remains Westphalian, as the mild grain spirit used for it comes from local crops grown on our own fields. South and North in a bottle, which is how Theres and Georg like to create their spirits anyway.

The distillery adheres to three principles for its spirits, numbered from N° 01 to N° 03: a good base, care in selecting the fruit, and dedication. The last point sounds casual but is actually the most expensive, as the maceration process cannot be rushed. Each fruit releases its aroma at its own pace, and those who draw it off too early end up with thin results.

With chocolate and in winter cooking

Serve it at 16 to 20 degrees Celsius in a slim grappa glass, as an aperitif, or after a meal.

Orange and chocolate are an old pair, and this spirit turns that pairing into a very sophisticated one. A dark bar from our chocolate selection is its ideal match, as are almond cookies or a piece of orange cake. If you are cooking red cabbage or a roast with orange in winter, a splash of this at the end adds more fruitiness than any amount of grated zest.

It is also delightful over vanilla ice cream, and added to an espresso, it transforms it into something worth taking your time over. It becomes brighter and sharper with the lemon spirit, and darker and tarter with the sloe spirit.

The 200 ml in the bottle goes further than you think, as you only pour 2 cl of a spirit, never more. It is not a drink for thirst, but for the moment that follows.

Distillation takes place in Werne, where the family has worked since 1962 and the siblings have been running the business in the third generation since 2012. Orange and grain—that is a combination you first have to imagine.

Organic control body DE-ÖKO-005 – EU Agriculture