Orange Liqueur Recipes

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Advanced

This fun springtime cocktail is best made for a batched cocktail approach, ideal for impressing friends at a party, or for a quick evening cocktail at home with no shaking necessary.  This recipe is based on a classic cocktail called a milk-washed punch, or better known as Clarified Punch. Essentially, a cocktail with a high amount of acidity is slowly added to milk, lowering the pH, starting the curdling process. The curds act as a filter of sorts to separate the proteins, pectens, and other solids of the punch out from the rest of the cocktail. What is left is a beautifully clear cocktail that has a silky-smooth mouthfeel and little to no bite from the alcohol.

This rendition is an adaptation from a punch to a lemonade. The end result tastes like a lemon bar with a kick!

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A batch of 8 – 4 oz Cocktails

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8 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

4 oz. Pinot Grigio

8 oz lemon juice

4 oz table sugar

8 oz Stash Meyer Lemon Tea (1 tea bag/8oz water)

8 oz Whole Milk

Graham cracker crumbs (optional)

2 containers larger than 36oz

1 large mesh strainer

Large Coffee Filter or clean cotton dish towel

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Cocktail Batch

1. Begin brewing tea by adding 1 teabag to 1 cup of simmering water

2. In large container 1, combine Orange Liqueur, Pinot Grigio, lemon juice, and sugar

3. In large container 2, add Whole milk and let sit until room temperature

4. When tea is ready, pour hot into container 1. Stir mixture until sugar has completely dissolved.

5. When the Cocktail mixture in Container 1 has cooled to lukewarm,  slowly add the cocktail mixture to the milk in container 2. It is important to add the cocktail to the milk and not the milk to the cocktail mixture. Curds will not form gradually if done the other way. The smaller curds formed by adding the cocktail mixture gradually to the milk will draw out more solids and will ultimately leave you with a more clarified cocktail.

6. Allow curdled mixture to settle for at least 1 hour. Some curds will begin to separate, and you will begin to see the clear liquid forming its own layer, this is normal.

7. Wash or rinse container one and place the fine mesh strainer over the container. Place your towel or coffee filter in the mesh strainer.

8. Pour the mixture into the coffee filter or towel. The curds will collect and a slow cristal clear trickle of your final product will start. Slowly add more and more of your mixture to the strainer until all liquid has been filtered through the curds. This will take some time. I promise the end result will be worth the extra effort.

9. Once the entire container has been filtered through the curds, you have an option to repeat the process one more time to get out more of the remaining color. Simply pour the clear mixture back through the curds once more.

10. The final step is to store the mix in a glass container. The alcohol content and the clarification process will keep this cocktail mix fresh and tasty for up to several months. Although, we suspect it won’t take that long to drink 😉

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Single Cocktail

1. Rim a rocks glass with lemon juice

2. Dip in graham cracker crumbs

3. Shake off any excess crumbs

4. Add one large ice cube to the glass

5. Pour 4oz of clarified cocktail mix over ice and serve

Riff on Classic Cocktail by Ivy Geikler

Difficulty Level: Medium

Simply put this is an amazing classic Saturn Tiki Cocktail. The blend of spices from the Old Tom Gin and the sweet tang from the fruit juices combine with the savory orgeat to create the perfect Spring or Summer refresher. Batch the orgeat and you’ll be able to make this classic cocktail all Spring!

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Old Tom Gin

0.5 oz Orange Liqueur

0.75oz Lemon juice

0.75 oz Orgeat*

1oz Passion Fruit Nectar

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Orgeat*

Shaken

1. Combine ingredients in shaker.

2. Shake well and pour into a martini/coupe glass.

3. Garnish with lemon twist.

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy+

What’s better than honey and peaches in the summer? Honey, basil, gin, and peaches in the summer! Give this delicious cocktail a try for your next backyard party! It’s light, refreshing, and perfect for a poolside refreshment.

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1 oz Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz Peach nectar

1 oz  Honey basil simple syrup*

0.5 oz Lemon juice

Garnish with fresh basil

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Honey Basil Simple Syrup

1 cup honey

2 cups water

1 cup fresh basil leaves

• Bring honey and water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan
• Add basil leaves for 5-8 minutes
• Take off heat and let cool to room temp
• Strain and store in a ball jar

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and pour in a collins glass

3. Fill with ice and garnish with fresh basil leaf

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy +

The perfect Valentine’s Day cocktail! Sweet and tart with just the right balance.

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1 oz Vitae Spirits Damson Gin
0.5 oz Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur
0.5 oz Lemon juice

0.5 oz Vanilla bean simple syrup*

0.5 oz Egg white

Garnish with fresh Blackberries

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Vanilla Simple Syrup
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 stick fresh vanilla

1. Cut vanilla bean down the center and scrape out the innards
2. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil
3. Add whole vanilla bean and let steep for 5 minutes
4. Take off burner and let cool
5. Store in ball jar in fridge for up to 1 month

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1. Combine ingredients into shake
2. Shake well until frothy
3. Strain into collins glass with ice
4. Garnish with blackberries

By TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: easy +

This unique take on a daiquiri is perfect for the holidays! The Chai-Black tea simple syrups adds a nice warm spice to an otherwise very refreshing cocktail.

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Platinum Rum

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Paw Paw Liqueur

3/4 oz Chai-Black tea simple syrup*

1 oz lemon juice

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Chai-Black tea syrup

Bring 2 cups water to a boil and add two tea bags of Chai-Black tea.  When tea is brewed add 1 cup sugar and stir till dissolved. Store in ball jar for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

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1. Combine ingredients in shaker with ice.

2. Shake well and pour into a coupe glass.

3. Garnish with a lemon peel twist

Riff on Classic Cocktail by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy+

This cocktail is a bright, refreshing take on a classic whiskey sour with fall flavors. Cinnamon and maple are a perfect addition to our Barrel-Aged Rum.

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Barrel Aged Rum

0.5 oz Orange Liqueur

   1 oz lemon juice

1 oz Cinnamon Maple Syrup*

0.5 oz egg whites

Garnish with dried orange zest

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Cinnamon Maple Simple

Add equal parts water and 100% maple syrup to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cinnamon stick for every 2 cups of liquid and let steep for 5 minutes at a low simmer. Remove from heat and let cinnamon stick soak for 4 hours. Remove cinnamon stick and store in mason jar.

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1. Add ingredients to shaker with ice
2. Shake vigorously
3. Strain into couple glass
4. Garnish with dried orange zest

by Ian Glomski

Difficulty Level: Easy+

This cocktail screams summer. The anise, orange, cucumber, and cilantro all work in concert to yield a light and herbal long drink that is totally crushable.

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1.0 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz Anisette

1 oz Lemonade (1 part sugar, 1 part lemon juice, 2 parts water)

0.5 oz Egg Whites

2 slices of cucumber

2 sprigs Cilantro

top with sparkling water

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Shake and strain into coupe glass

3. Top off with sparking water till foam is touching the rim of the coupe

by Kerrie Pierce

The Flip is a class of cocktail that, at minimum, contains egg that is frothed by whipping or shaking, but often contains cream as well. These two components give us a richness that is perfect for cool autumn and winter days.

Difficulty Level: Medium+

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz. pumpkin syrup (see below for recipe)

1 oz. Heavy cream

0.5 oz egg white

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Pumpkin Spice Syrup

2 cups water

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 oz fresh ginger sliced

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1 tsp whole allspice

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 vanilla bean split open, seeds scraped out

Using whole spices, not ground. heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves, mix in pumpkin and spices, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, let cool, then strain thoroughly.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice

3. Shake vigorously to froth

4. Pour in a coupe glass.

5. Garnish with a dash of ground cinnamon.

by Kerrie Pierce

A rare Orange only Cocktail, this summery cocktail is light and refreshing with fresh grapefruit juice and a splash of rosewater simple for a gentle floral finish.

Difficulty Level: Easy+

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

1.5 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

1  oz. rose simple syrup (1 part sugar 2 parts water 1/8 parts rose water)

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Click here for an instructional video

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice

3. Shake vigorously

4. Pour in a cocktail glass.

5. Garnish with rose pedal.

by Kerrie Pierce

There is nothing better than fruit when it is in season. This cocktail, built in the Spring of 2017, highlights the natural fragrances of strawberries while presenting a smoothness that avoids being cloying.

Difficulty Level: Medium

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

1 oz. strained strawberry puree

3/4  oz. rhubarb syrup

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. egg white

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Rhubarb Syrup– bring to a boil and then simmer in a covered pot 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Simmer for 30 minutes. While still warm, strain through a colander into a bowl. If your colander’s holes are too large and solids pass through, restrain after adding some cheese cloth to the colander to strain more finely. Let cool and store in refrigerator up to one month.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice

3. Shake vigorously to produce egg foam

4. Pour into coupe glass