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Prep: 15 min. Steep: 30-40 days
Yield: 1.5 liters

A Mouthful. In Name and Flavor.

Similar to the Limoncello, the Pompelmocello (pronounced “poam-PEHL-moh-che-lo”) uses the zest of fresh grapefruit to create a sweet, refreshing Italian liqueur. It’s certainly great mixed in a variety of cocktails. But, unlike the fruit itself, it’s sweet and approachable even when served straight. It’s most commonly served in a cordial glass as an after-dinner digestif. But for a liqueur this tasty, there are countless uses.

PREPARATION:

To begin, you’ll need 4-5 large grapefruits, preferably organic ruby red, and a 750mL bottle of Everclear®. You’ll also need 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water to make simple syrup once the infusion is finished.

Rinse and dry the grapefruits. Be sure to remove any stickers or visible dirt. Then, using a vegetable peeler, carefully remove the zest from the grapefruits. Try to avoid the pith if possible.

Using a kitchen knife, scrape the pith away from the peeled zest. The more pith you can remove, the less bitter your infusion will be.

Place scraped grapefruit zest in a large, sealable container. Add one bottle (750mL) of Everclear® and seal tightly.

Let steep in a dark, cool environment to taste, agitating regularly. We prefer anywhere from 30 to 40 days. Once the mixture has infused to your liking, make simple syrup by dissolving 3 cups of sugar into 3 cups of boiling water.

As the simple syrup cools, strain your grapefruit infusion into a large, clean bottle using a funnel and a coffee filter. Once your infusion is strained, add your cooled simple syrup to taste. A 1:1 infusion to syrup ratio is as easy as it is good, but feel free to experiment. And remember, it’s always possible to add more syrup, but you can’t remove it.

 

Now you have fresh, homemade Pompelmocello. Store in a freezer to keep cool. Serve and enjoy all summer long.

POMPELMOCELLO

Ingredients:
4-5 large ruby red grapefruits
1 bottle (750mL) Everclear®
3 cups sugar
3 cups water

Instructions:

  1. Peel the zest from grapefruits
  2. Remove pith.
  3. Combine zest and Everclear® in a large, sealable container.
  4. Let steep for 30-40 days in a cool, dry place.
  5. Once infused, make simple syrup by dissolving sugar into boiling water.
  6. Strain grapefruit infusion into a clean container using a funnel and coffee filter.
  7. Add cooled simple syrup to taste.
  8. Store in freezer, and enjoy.

 

Tips:
Straining through a coffee filter is a useful but patient process. Cheesecloth is always a faster alternative, but coffee filtration will give you the desired clarity in one pass. Changing to a fresh filter can help speed up the process as well if it’s slowed.

While organic ruby red grapefruits are preferred, try your hand at other types or whatever is available. You may find that there’s another variety you prefer.

Feel free to play around with not only the infusion to syrup ratio, but also the ratio of sugar to water in the syrup itself. If you like sweet and strong, you might want to add more sugar into the syrup and use it in lower quantity with the infusion.