HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO
Source of Recipe
Gail's
List of Ingredients
15 lemons, -- thick skinned
2 750ml 100-proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
Recipe
A few Ingredients, and plenty of time:
The ingredients for limoncello are simple and
few, and making a batch doesn't require much
work, but you'll need some time. Limoncello
must steep for eighty days; start making it now so
that it's ready to drink in the hot months to come.
To begin, you'll need a large glass jar - at least
four quarts - with a lid. Or divide the recipe into
smaller batches. Choose thick skinned lemons
because they're easier to zest. You'll need
about 15 medium to large fruits. Wash the lemons
well with a vegetable brush and hot water to
remove any residue of pesticides or wax. Pat the
lemons dry and remove the zest. A vegetable
peeler does the job best; it gives you long wide
strips of zest with hardly any of the bitter white
pith. If you do get some of the pith with the zest,
carefully scrape it away with the tip of a knife. Fill
the jar with one bottle of the vodka and, as you
remove the zest, add it to the jar.
Limoncello should taste like fresh lemons, not
poor-quality vodka. Use 100-proof vodka, which
has less flavor than a lower proof one. Also, the
higher alcohol level will ensure that the
limoncello won't turn to ice in the freezer.
Mix the ingredients and wait. After combining the
vodka and lemon zest, cover the jar and store it
at room temperature in a dark cabinet or
cupboard. There is no need to stir: all you have
to do is wait. As the limoncello sits, the vodka
slowly takes on the flavor and rich yellow color of
the lemon zest.
After about forty days, combine the sugar and
water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and cook
until thickened, about five minutes. Let the syrup
cool before adding it to the limoncello mixture,
along with the other bottle of vodka. Cover and
return to the cupboard for another forty days.
Then, simply strain the limoncello into bottles and
discard the lemon zest. You can store the bottles
in a cupboard, but always keep on in the freezer
so it's icy cold and you're ready to drink it.
P.S. - A special note, if you are really excited
about trying it, if you don't wait the entire second
forty days it still tastes wonderful.
Recipe By Joanne Weir
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