Moroccan Orange Juice with Orange Blossom Water
Fresh-squeezed orange juice scented with a few drops of orange blossom water and a whisper of cinnamon, served ice cold. It's the fragrant, café-style glass you'd find in Marrakech.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Makes
- About 4 cups (1 liter), 4 servings of 1 cup (240 ml)
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the oranges in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or chill the finished juice for the full hour, so the juice is cold.
- Use ripe, heavy, juicy oranges such as Valencia, navel or blood oranges. Juice yield varies, so you may need 8 to 10 oranges.
- Measure orange blossom water with a measuring spoon. It's potent, and too much tastes soapy.
- Chill 4 serving glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes if you like.
Prepare the oranges
- Scrub the oranges under cool running water and dry them.
- Roll each one firmly under your palm on the counter for about 5 seconds to break up the inner membranes, then halve crosswise.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Oranges feel slightly softer when pressed.
Tip: Rolling the fruit increases juice yield noticeably.
Squeeze the juice
- Juice all the orange halves into the large jug, pressing and twisting each half to extract as much as possible.
- You want about 4 cups (960 ml) of juice.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The jug holds about 4 cups (960 ml) of juice and the orange halves are mostly empty shells.
Tip: Avoid pressing into the white pith, which adds bitterness.
Strain the juice
- Pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer into the serving pitcher to remove seeds and excess pulp.
- Press the pulp lightly with a spoon for the last of the juice.
- Skip this step if you like a pulpy juice, but do pick out the seeds.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Juice is free of seeds and large pulp pieces.
Flavor the juice
- Add the orange blossom water and ground cinnamon to the pitcher.
- Taste a spoonful.
- If the oranges are tart, stir in the sugar until fully dissolved.
- Stir well with a long spoon or whisk for 20 seconds so the cinnamon disperses.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: A gentle floral aroma, with no streaks of cinnamon floating on top.
Tip: Add orange blossom water in small amounts. Start with ½ teaspoon, since it's strong and can taste perfumey if overused.
Chill the juice
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors meld and the juice becomes very cold.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: The pitcher feels very cold to the touch.
Stir and serve
- Stir the chilled juice again, since the cinnamon and pulp settle.
- Fill the glasses with ice if using, pour in the juice, and dust each with a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
- Serve immediately.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Juice is evenly colored and glasses are frosty.
Tip: Skip the ice if you want the flavor undiluted, and chill the glasses instead.
Good to know
Tips
- Choose oranges that feel heavy for their size, which means they're juicy.
- Drink the juice within a day for the brightest taste, since fresh juice loses flavor and some vitamin C over time.
- Add orange blossom water gradually and taste, because brands differ in strength.
- For a café-style presentation, serve in small glasses with a few thin orange slices.
Make ahead
"Juice, flavor and refrigerate up to 24 hours ahead. Stir well before serving, since pulp and cinnamon settle."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 1 hour. Refrigerator: up to 2 days in a covered pitcher or jar, with the best flavor in the first 24 hours. Freezer: up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers with 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace; thaw overnight in the fridge and stir well. Serve cold; do not reheat."
Substitutions
- orange blossom water → rose water. Use the same amount, or slightly less, for a floral note with a rosier flavor.
- juicing oranges → blood oranges or tangerines. Blood oranges give a deeper color and berry notes. Tangerines are sweeter, so skip the sugar.
- granulated sugar → honey or agave syrup. Use 2 teaspoons, stirred in until dissolved.
- ground cinnamon → pinch of ground cardamom. Gives a warmer, slightly citrusy spice.