Seville Orangeade

Remember Tang, the astronauts’ orange drink?

This Seville Orangeade kind of reminds me of tang or how tang would taste if made with fresh, whole ingredients. Or for those of us who’ve outgrown Tang, think Orangina but non-carbonated.

Seville oranges are bitter-tasting oranges traditionally used to make orange marmalade. They are very sour, not sweet, and have a wonderful taste. You can use them as a substitute for lemons in many recipes. They are also a defining flavor in many Mexican recipes.

Inspired by my colleague Marc’s recipe for Whole Lemon Lemonade and I decided to try the method with a bunch of bitter Seville oranges I had from making jam.

Where can you get Seville bitter oranges?

Bitter or sour oranges are needed to prepare this Orangeade recipe; it doesn’t really work with regular juice oranges. Where can you find bitter oranges?

• You can order them online. Melissa’s Produce wears them in season (late winter and early spring).
• farmers markets. In areas where citrus is grown, you can sometimes find farmers offering Seville oranges at local farmers’ markets during the season.
• Local markets with good fruit and veg sections. In some areas, some local grocery stores may sell Seville oranges when they are in season. Pay attention and ask your local grocer!
• You can feed them. Seville orange trees have been used as ornamental trees in landscaping. Sometimes you can find the trees on the street boulevards of the old cities (in warm areas where citrus fruits can be grown). Sometimes the rootstock takes over the orange tree and in a year, instead of sweet, seedless navel oranges, bitter, pitted Seville oranges will be growing on your tree.

Most people don’t have the patience for jam making, which these oranges are ideal for.

This Seville Orangeade is an easy way to use up those otherwise ignored oranges while making a delicious, refreshing drink. They would also work great for an orange sorbet!