It’s been awhile since I made a cello, so this year I decided to make pomelocello! I modeled my recipe after the tangerinecello I made nearly ten years ago (!).
Pomelos are the largest citrus fruit, and they taste a bit like grapefruit with some sweeter/orange notes. They are considered one of the three original citrus fruits, from which all other citrus fruit descended, but we had never actually done anything with them – until now!
Pomelocello
You will need:
• 2 cups Neutral Grain Spirit (190 proof)
• 4 fresh, ripe Pomelo
• 3 cups White Cane Sugar (sugar beet sugar is OK too, but cane tastes better)
• Water
• Clean glass infusion jar
• Clean glass syrup holder
• Clean container for finished batch (10 cups in total/80 oz)
• Tools: Fruit peeler, paring knife, cutting board, citrus press or juicer, measuring cup
Step 1: Prepare & Peel the Fruit (Day 1)
Wash the fruit thoroughly but quickly. Use a produce wash if you have it, as well as a produce scrub brush – you want to get off dirt & wax to the extent possible so it doesn’t end up in your cello. Try to get all the peel you can from the pomelos, avoiding the white pith beneath as much as you can – the pith will create bitter flavors in your cello. Pomelos are going to give some bitterness anyway, so a little pith won’t hurt. Separate the peel into 2 sets – peel of 3 of them together, and peel of the 4th kept separate.
Step 2: Infuse the Spirit – Part I (Day 1)
Put the peel from 3 pomelos into a clean glass infusion jar and top with the neutral spirit, then put on the lid. Shake vigorously to fully cover all surfaces of the peel with the spirit. After this process, if some of the peel is above the spirit, press it down so that the peel is fully submerged. Let the spirit infuse for a few days, up to 5 days.
Step 3: Infuse the Sugar – Part 1 (Day 1)
Put the peel from the remaining pomelo in another container, and cover with 1 cup of sugar. Fully coat the peel with sugar, and stir well to submerge the sugar. Essentially, we are making an oleo saccharum with the pomelo peels that we’ll turn into the sweetener for our cello. Store at room temperature for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Prepare the Syrup (Day 2)
Juice the pomelos until you have 2-2-1/4 cups of juice. Don’t worry about any pulp – it’s best to leave it in. Put the juice in a non-reactive saucepan. Add the infused sugar, and an additional 2 cups of sugar. Stir often, and bring to a light simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool completely, then store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator.
Step 5: Infuse the Spirit – Part II (Day 3 or 4)
Add 2/3 cups water to your infusion – you will extract additional flavors by dropping the proof. Reshake the infusion jar, and make sure the peels are submerged in the liquid. Continue the infusion process for a few more days, and up to 2 weeks.
Step 6: Strain out the Peels (Day 7 or later)
Strain the citrus peels out from your infusion, and return your infusion to your glass jar.
Step 7: Blend your Pomelocello (Day 7 or later)
In your larger batch container, add your syrup and 1 cup of water, stir well. Allow this mixture to get to room temperature before adding the spirit (this will help reduce clouding of the spirit, but you will still get some clouding).
At room temperature, add your spirit infusion to the syrup & water. Stir well or shake to mix. It is about 30% alcohol by volume now, so you can adjust based on your preferences. If you’d prefer it to be sweeter, add some plain simple syrup, and make a note next time to make more syrup with the pomelo juice & sugar if you want more pomelo intensity. If it’s too boozy, add some water (4 oz at a time) and stir in/recheck.
Enjoy! I’d recommend storing it in the refrigerator for best results.
