Today in Things That I Do That Make Very Little Sense: I take enormous, completely unfounded pride in our orange tree (you know, the one that I freaked out over when we first arrived at our new home).
When people come over, I announce to them, “Would you like an orange? Because we grow them ourselves. Did I mention that they’re DELICIOUS?” I send people baskets of oranges and write “From our backyard!” on twee little cards. I make orange-flavored cakes, and make sure that anyone who’s eating one is aware that it all that lovely orange-y flavor came from my very own oranges that are mine and that exist because I MADE IT SO. (I’m aware that this is obnoxious, and also that orange-growing is hardly cause for national celebration in California, but whatever, I’m from New York City and in New York City oranges are born in supermarkets, so this is all very thrilling to me.)
Let us now be absolutely clear: I had virtually nothing to do with the fact that this particular tree produces oranges, delicious or otherwise. In fact, I tried extremely hard via a refusal to water it (thanks partially to drought-related water restrictions but mostly to my own forgetfulness) to make sure that it never produced fruit again, and yet it persevered. It would be more accurate for me to take pride in the fact that my orange tree absolutely refuses to die.
Anyway, we have a LOT of oranges now. Like seriously, we’re talking in the hundreds. Which means I am presently the queen of making orange-flavored things. Marinades with orange juice and cider. Orange-glazed poppyseed cakes. Orange-flavored slow-cooker everything. And now?
ORANGE VODKA. (I also can take no credit for this recipe, or even for procuring a single thing that you see in these photographs; for Christmas, Francesca gave me the ingredients, the recipe, and everything I’d need to store and serve it in. Except for the oranges. Because did you know I grew those myself?)
(I totally did.)
HOMEMADE ORANGE-INFUSED VODKA
What You Need:
1 750ml bottle of decent-quality (unflavored) vodka
1 large orange, quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
What You Do:
Pour vodka into a large jar with a tight-fitting lid (an oversized mason jar is perfect). Add the orange and cinnamon and let steep 3-4 days.
Remove orange quarters from vodka and squeeze out the juice (a lot of the vodka will have absorbed into the orange). Remove the cinnamon sticks, and pour the liquid into a serving vessel with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator.
TRY THIS COCKTAIL: ORANGE DROP
1. Make simple syrup by combining 1 cup of water with 1 cup of granulated sugar in a saucepan, bringing to a boil, and then turning down the heat and cooking, stirring constantly, until the sugar disappears.
2. Next, make a mixer using equal parts simple syrup and freshly squeezed lemon.
3. In a rocks glass, combine 2 oz orange-infused vodka and 1 oz mixer. Stir lightly, then top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lemon curl.
