Limoncello: Summer is coming!
Look at all this lemony goodness! In March my wife and I took a quick trip to New Jersey to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 60th birthday. One evening he treated us to some of his homemade limoncello and I was JEALOUS. So when we returned, I went to work and whipped up some of what I hoped would be the delicious Italian nectar! I made my first batch of homemade Limoncello. For those of you who enjoy a nice after dinner liquor, this wonderful Italian elixir wasn’t too difficult to make. Here’s how I did it:
The recipe includes the following:
10-15 lemons, rinsed
5 cups of 100 proof Vodka
3 cups sugar
4 cups water
1. Peel the lemons using a knife or potato peeler. Just make sure you don’t peel too deeply. The white pith beneath the yellow skin is bitter. Place the peels into a large glass bottle or jar. Pour in vodka. Cover loosely and let infuse for four to six weeks at room temperature.
2. After the limoncello infuses for four to six weeks, Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. DO NOT STIR. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
3. Strain the lemon skins out of the infusion into a large container for mixing. Add the simple syrup to taste. I used 2/3 of the total syrup as I didn’t want the limoncello to be overly sweet (as many of the commercial brands are). Place the finished limoncello into glass containers and seal. You can let the mixture age for 2 weeks at room temperature but, fortunately, you can enjoy your limoncello right away!
The limoncello on the left is my homemade blend and the decanter on the right contains a commercial product. By the way, my limoncello isn’t half-bad!
