 |
| Limoncello |
Ingredients
1 bottle (750 ml) Everclear
1 bottle (750 ml) Vodka [Use a decent Vodka]
20 organic lemons
4 c sugar
4 c water
Cooking Instructions
Wash + scrub the lemons in hot water. Clean with vegetable wash or something to remove the wax on lemons. Rinse good.
Lemon peels create the limoncello's flavoring + color, so it is essential for the lemons to be clean.
Peel the lemons, in long strips, making sure not to get any of the white pith found under the peel. It's very easy to do. But keep it at a minimum as the pith creates a bitter taste to the limoncello.
Use a sharp, large-sized veggie peeler or a very sharp knife if you're not afraid of losing a thumb.
Put the lemon peels in a large glass container with the vodka + everclear. A sun tea jar, without the spigot, will work.
Note: Some people use only Everclear + others only vodka. I've found that a mixture is the best recipe. You're not so over the top by using the Everclear. And the vodka alone can be too low of an alcohol content which causes the limoncello to freeze when stored in the freezer. The higher alcohol content of Everclear prevents it from being diluted to the point where it freezes when placed in the freezer.
Swirl the lemon peel + alcohol mixture together daily in the jar. This step can last for as little as 2 weeks or up to 4 months. The longer you leave the peels in the alcohol, the more yellow + lemony your limoncello will be. After 2 weeks, you'll get a limoncello as good as any store bought kind. Leave it a little longer + the result is the limoncello found only in Italy.
After you get to the point where you're ready to finish the limoncello, remove the bigger peels with a slotted spoon.
Be frugal with your mixture by moving the peels to another container so that the "drippings" can be poured back into the larger container.
After removing the larger peels, strain the entire mixture through coffee filters to remove impurities. This can be done by placing the filters in funnels to strain.
Note: Pre-wet the filters with water so they don't absorb as much of the liquor which reduces waste.
Make the sugar syrup by mixing the sugar + water together. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for a minimum of 7 minutes. Then let syrup cool to room temperature. Combine syrup with lemon-alcohol mixture. And you can bottle the limoncello. Ideally, let the limoncello "marry" together for a week in the bottle before consuming.
Store limoncello in freezer for the finest of tastings. |
No preview Available |
 |
Contact us about this recipe |
 |
Tell a friend about this recipe |
 |
Printer friendly version |
|
|
|
|