Each year I plan to make Seville Orange Marmalade, but I’m never prepared for when the short season comes round.  This year I was prepared and no Seville Oranges where to be found! So instead I made ordinary marmalade and added a generous amount of whisky, to liven it up a bit.  Marmalade making is a little more time consuming than Jam Making, as I found out.  But patience is rewarded by pots of deliciousness to spread on your toast in the mornings.

Whisky Marmalade

Ingredients (Makes approx. 8 x 400g Jars)

1Kg  Oranges
1 Lemon
2.5l Water
1Kg Light Muscavado Sugar
1Kg Granulated Sugar
25ml Single Malt Whisky

Method

• Sterilise the jam jars and put a saucer in the freezer
• Cut the oranges and lemons in half, and then with a sieve over the pan, squeeze the fruit into them
• Using a piece of muslin, spoon the pips and pith from the remaining oranges into it
• Cut the peel into thin strips (or thick ones if you like thick cut), trimming off any excess pith and putting that into the muslin
• Add the peel to the pan with the orange juice.  Tie the muslin bag up and add that to the pan
• Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 2 hours or until the peel becomes soft
• Remove the muslin bag and place in a bowl to cool, once cold squeeze it you get all the liquid out
• Bring the orange juice and peel back to a simmer and pour in the liquid from the muslin bag.  This liquid contains pectin which will help the marmalade set
• Turn up the heat and boil the marmalade to setting point (104C if you have a sugar thermometer – after about 45 minutes if you don’t!)
• Remove the saucer from the freezer and drop a bit of the marmalade on it, leave for a few seconds and if it wrinkles when pushed with your finger, its ready.  If it doesn’t wrinkle, boil for another 5 minutes until it does
• Remove from the heat, and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
• Then add in a generous dram of your favourite whisky and stir well
• Pour into the prepared jars, top with a wax disc and seal tightly

You can use whatever whisky you fancy, but bear in mind if you use an Islay Malt the marmalade will be very smoky.  I used a Jura Turas Mara which is a bit of a fruity whisky having been matured in Bourbon, Sherry, Port and French Oak Casks (what a mixture!) so it goes really well with the oranges and the sweetness of the marmalade.