Limoncello

Several years ago I had the pleasure to visit the Island of Capri. Situated in the bay of Naples what strikes you when you get off the ferry is the smell of lemons. This is where the Italian lemon liqueur was born and where I developed a taste for this sweet yet tart drink. Making your own Limoncello is easy but you must have patience since the entire process takes two weeks. The wait is worth it.

Makes 2 750mL Bottles

Ingredients

12 Lemons (organic preferred)

1 750mL Bottle of Everclear *

6 C Water

4 C Sugar

Microplane Zester

Rinse and wipe off the lemons. Zest the lemons using a microplane zester. Make sure you avoid the white parts of the lemon skin, this can be very bitter. You can the squeeze all of the zested lemons and freeze the lemon juice in ice cube trays for future use.

Place the lemon zest and the Everclear into a 1 Liter bottle that has been sanitized. Place it in a dark cabinet or closet for two weeks. Stir or shake daily!

At the end of two weeks, make a simple syrup with the sugar and water. Bring the water to a boil, add the sugar and stir until it has turned clear. Cool the simple syrup to room temperature. 

Strain the zest from the alcohol by placing a coffee filter in a strainer over a large bowl. Discard the lemon zest. Add the cooled simple syrup to the strained alcohol then pour it into smaller bottles. 

Store in the refrigerator for at least 5 days before drinking. Limoncello must be store in either the refrigerator or freezer.

* NOTE: Everclear is a brand name for 151-proof (75.5% ABV) grain alcohol. It is also called diesel alcohol.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Limoncello.