Arancello and mandarinetto are the siblings of homemade limoncello: same method, same equipment, a different citrus fruit. The differences are in the peel, which is thicker on oranges and thinner on mandarins, and in the steeping time, which changes accordingly.
Here you will find one reference recipe that works for both, the amounts for three batch sizes, the calculated ABV and the steeping time for each fruit. It is also the right time of year to make them: oranges and mandarins are winter fruit, and a liqueur started in December is ready for the holidays or soon after.
What is the difference between limoncello, arancello and mandarinetto?
The method is the same; the peel and the aroma change. Orange zest has a thicker white layer underneath and needs more careful peeling; mandarin zest is thin and releases its aroma faster. Mandarinetto has a sweet, recognizable scent that comes from a compound, methyl N-methylanthranilate, that lemon and orange barely contain.
| Limoncello | Arancello | Mandarinetto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus | Lemon | Orange | Mandarin |
| Fruit per liter of alcohol | 8 to 10 | 8 to 10 | 15 to 20 |
| White pith under the zest | Thin | Thick, remove carefully | Thin |
| Recommended steeping | 7 to 30 days | 10 to 15 days | 7 to 15 days |
| What gives the scent | Limonene, plus a small share of citral | Limonene, almost on its own | Limonene and gamma-terpinene, plus methyl N-methylanthranilate |
| Season | All year | Winter | Winter |
The figures on aroma come from analyses of peel essential oils. In sweet orange oil, limonene is usually above 90%, which is why arancello smells full but simple. In lemon oil, limonene is between 60 and 80%, and the typical lemon smell comes largely from citral, which makes up only 2 to 3%. Mandarin oil has about 65 to 75% limonene, 16 to 22% gamma-terpinene and between 0.3 and 0.7% methyl N-methylanthranilate: a small amount, but enough to give the sweet, almost candy-like note that sets a mandarinetto apart from an arancello even with your eyes closed.
Which oranges and mandarins should you use?
You need citrus with an edible peel, which means organic or unwaxed fruit. Ordinary sweet oranges work for arancello; for mandarinetto a true mandarin has a stronger scent than a clementine. The peel should be firm and glossy: an old fruit has already lost part of its essential oil.
The peel is the whole point of these liqueurs, so it matters what is on it. Conventional citrus is often coated with wax after harvest, and the wax can carry a fungicide. Washing helps, but it does not make a treated peel the same as an untreated one. The safer choice is organic citrus, or fruit bought directly from the grower.
For arancello almost every recipe uses ordinary sweet oranges, such as navels. Blood oranges, like the Italian Tarocco and Moro, work the same way. Bitter orange (Seville orange) has a stronger scent and is traditionally the citrus of liqueurs and essences, but it is hard to find and gives a different result: if you have it, use it for part of the zest.
For mandarinetto the variety matters. A common mandarin has the most fragrant peel and is the one to choose. Clementines, a mandarin hybrid, and many of the easy-peel “mandarins” sold in stores, work too, but make a milder liqueur. In Sicily there is also the Mandarino Tardivo di Ciaculli, a late mandarin grown in the Conca d’Oro outside Palermo and recognized by Slow Food, which ripens between January and March.
The recipe: amounts for arancello and mandarinetto
The liquori.it recipe starts from 1 liter of 95% alcohol, the zest of 8 to 10 oranges or 15 to 20 mandarins, 1.5 liters of water and 700 g of sugar. It makes about 2.9 liters of liqueur at 32% ABV, with 238 grams of sugar per liter. Doubling or halving the amounts keeps the same ABV.
| Ingredient | For about 1.5 L (50 fl oz) | For about 2.9 L (98 fl oz) | For about 5.9 L (199 fl oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95% alcohol (190 proof) | 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) | 1 L (33.8 fl oz) | 2 L (67.6 fl oz) |
| Oranges (for arancello) | 4 to 5 | 8 to 10 | 16 to 20 |
| Mandarins (for mandarinetto) | 8 to 10 | 15 to 20 | 30 to 40 |
| Water | 750 ml (25.4 fl oz) | 1.5 L (50.7 fl oz) | 3 L (101.4 fl oz) |
| Granulated sugar | 350 g (1.75 cups) | 700 g (3.5 cups) | 1.4 kg (7 cups) |
| Final ABV | about 32% | about 32% | about 32% |
The water and sugar proportions are those of one of the most widely shared Italian arancello recipes. The final volume also counts the sugar, which takes up about 0.63 ml per gram once dissolved: the full math is in the guide to sugar syrup for liqueurs. In the United States, 95% alcohol is sold as grain alcohol at 190 proof, and not every state allows it on store shelves; the options are covered in which alcohol to use for homemade liqueurs.
You need an airtight glass jar of at least 2 liters (half a gallon), a sharp vegetable peeler, a saucepan, a fine strainer and dark glass bottles.
- Wash the fruit. Wash it in lukewarm water, rubbing the peel with a soft sponge, then dry it well.
- Peel the zest. Take only the colored part with the peeler. Go slowly on oranges, because the white layer is thick and comes away easily with the zest: if some stays attached, scrape it off with a small knife. Mandarins have a thin peel, so you can also peel them by hand and then clean the inside of the peel.
- Steep. Put the zest in the jar with the alcohol and keep it in a cool, dark place, shaking once a day: 10 to 15 days for arancello, 7 to 15 for mandarinetto.
- Make the syrup. Dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat, turn it off as soon as it is clear and let it cool completely. The alcohol never goes on the stove or near a flame.
- Strain and combine. Strain the flavored alcohol through the strainer, squeezing the zest only lightly, and pour it into the cold syrup while stirring. For a clearer liqueur, follow one of the methods in how to filter homemade liqueur.
- Bottle and rest. Pour into the bottles and wait at least two weeks in the dark before tasting. Many traditional recipes recommend a month: the flavor rounds out and the alcohol is less sharp.
How long should arancello and mandarinetto steep?
Arancello needs 10 to 15 days of steeping, mandarinetto 7 to 15. In both cases it is best not to go past a month: once the zest has given up its essential oil, the alcohol keeps extracting mostly the bitter compounds of whatever white pith is left on it.
The difference between the two comes from the peel. Mandarin peel is thin and gives up its aroma quickly; orange peel is thicker and needs a few more days. The practical sign is the color: when the alcohol has turned deep orange and the zest is pale and a little stiff, extraction is nearly done.
If you use bitter orange or very fragrant mandarins, taste a drop of the infusion from the seventh day on. A longer steep does not make the liqueur more fragrant, only more bitter.
How strong are arancello and mandarinetto?
With the reference recipe, arancello and mandarinetto are about 32% ABV (64 proof). Changing the water and sugar gives anywhere from about 28% to 35%. Mandarinetto Isolabella, one of the best-known Italian brands, is bottled at 30%: the homemade reference recipe is slightly stronger.
ABV is pure alcohol divided by the final volume. For the reference recipe: 1 liter of 95% alcohol contains 950 ml of pure alcohol, the final volume is 1,000 + 1,500 + 441 ml (the 700 g of dissolved sugar), that is 2,941 ml, and 950 divided by 2,941 is 32.3%. The other versions follow the same math:
| Version | Water | Sugar | Liters made | ABV | Sugar per liter | Calories per 1 fl oz (30 ml) | Calories per 1.5 fl oz shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stronger | 1.2 L (40.6 fl oz) | 800 g (4 cups) | 2.7 | 35% (70 proof) | 296 g | 94 | 139 |
| Reference | 1.5 L (50.7 fl oz) | 700 g (3.5 cups) | 2.9 | 32% (64 proof) | 238 g | 82 | 121 |
| Sweeter | 1.5 L (50.7 fl oz) | 1 kg (5 cups) | 3.1 | 30% (60 proof) | 319 g | 89 | 131 |
| Lighter | 2 L (67.6 fl oz) | 700 g (3.5 cups) | 3.4 | 28% (56 proof) | 203 g | 70 | 104 |
Every row starts from 1 liter of 95% alcohol. The first has the same proportions as the reference limoncello recipe, and the calories are calculated with the formula explained in calories in homemade limoncello and liqueurs. It is best not to go below about 25% ABV (50 proof): under that rough threshold a homemade liqueur keeps less well, as explained in how long homemade liqueur lasts.
What mistakes make arancello and mandarinetto bitter?
The three most common mistakes are leaving the white pith on the zest, steeping longer than needed and pouring in the syrup while it is still hot. All three lead to the same result: a liqueur that is more bitter or less fragrant than expected.
- The white pith. It contains the bitter compounds of citrus, including naringin. On oranges it is thick and comes away easily with the zest: it is the mistake that ruins most arancellos.
- Steeping too long. Past a month no more aroma arrives, only bitter and grassy notes.
- Hot syrup. Poured hot into the alcohol, it evaporates part of the alcohol and of the most volatile oils, which are exactly the ones that carry the scent.
- Treated fruit. A waxed or treated peel is not a good base, however well you wash it.
Arancello and mandarinetto belong to the liqueur tradition of southern Italy: for the rest of the family, from cinnamon rosolio to amari, see the guide to Sicilian liqueurs. For other fruit that works for steeping, there is the guide to fruit for homemade liqueurs.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make mandarinetto with clementines? Yes, with the same amounts and times. The liqueur comes out milder, because clementine peel is less fragrant than common mandarin peel.
Can you put oranges and mandarins in the same liqueur? Yes, but it is best to steep the two zests in separate jars, because they need different times, and combine the infusions before adding the syrup.
Why does the liqueur turn cloudy when I add the syrup? Essential oils dissolve well in strong alcohol and poorly in water. When the syrup lowers the ABV, part of the oil separates into very fine droplets and the liqueur turns cloudy. It is normal, and it is the same reason limoncello is opaque.
Can you use vodka instead of 95% alcohol? Yes, but vodka starts at 40% and cannot take the water in the syrup: the sugar has to be dissolved in as little water as possible, and the finished liqueur is much lower in alcohol. The method is the same as for limoncello with vodka.
How long do arancello and mandarinetto keep? In tightly sealed dark glass bottles, kept cool and dark, they hold their scent and color for about a year. You can also keep them in the freezer: at 32% ABV they do not freeze and are served already cold.
Updated October 2026. Legal note: in the United States, infusing legally purchased alcohol for your own use is allowed; selling it requires licenses, and distilling at home requires a federal permit. 95% alcohol is flammable: only the syrup is heated, and the alcohol never goes on the stove or near a flame. Please drink responsibly. This content is for readers 21 and over.