My husband has a love of marmalade, sweet and bitter and bright. I never really cared for it until I met him, and then I came to appreciate its floral bitter notes, vibrant acidity and the candied texture of its orange rind.

Whiskey and Honey Marmalade

Good marmalade depends on fragrant and perfumed bitter Seville oranges. Their season is fleeting, and the window for making marmalade is brief. Seedy and knobby things, Seville oranges aren't for eating out of hand. They're too bitter, and too tart for that, but they are perfect for marmalade.

You can make marmalade from sweet oranges too, but it lacks the complex character and perfume of Seville Orange marmalade.

Both honey and whiskey add character to the marmalade. Honey adds its own notes of wildflowers, while whiskey provides a deep, intense smoothness that's rich and complex but not alcoholic.

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5 from 2 votes

8 cups

Honey Whiskey Marmalade

Sweet and boozy with the faintest undertone of bitterness, this classic marmalade is made from bitter oranges and sweetened with honey.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time45

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Ingredients

8 Seville oranges
1 quart honey
½ cup Irish whiskey

Instructions

Scrub the oranges and set them on the rack of an electric pressure cooker. Cover them with water, and soften them in the pressure cooker by cooking them for ten minutes. Let the pressure naturally release, and then rotate the oranges to promote even softening of their rinds, and then pressure cook them a further five minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, place the oranges in a heavy pot or Dutch oven, cover them with water and boil them for 2 ½ hours, rotating them to ensure even softening of their rinds. Reserve the oranges, and discard the water.
Allow the oranges to cool enough to handle them comfortably. Split them in half cross-wise, and nudge the seeds from their flesh using a butter knife. Discard the seeds. Scoop out the pulp from the orange halves, spoon it into the pitcher of a blender. Blend the orange pulp until smooth, and then pour the pulp into the pot.
Quarter the remaining orange rinds, then layer one piece on top of the other, and slice the rinds into matchsticks about ⅛-inch wide and 1-inch long. Drop them into the pot with the orange pulp.
Stir in the honey, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn down the heat to medium, and stir the marmalade constantly until set, 30 to 35 minutes. Take the marmalade off the heat, let it cool for five minutes, and then stir in the whiskey.
Spoon into clean jam jars, and process in a water bath for ten minutes.