At the store we often get asked about Limoncello but our license only allows us to sell wine.
So why not do what many Italians do, and make your own? It just takes a little effort and patience and the result is often better than the commercial varieties.
For this batch I started with 15 lemons (unwaxed and organic) and a one liter bottle of vodka (50% alcohol).
Wash and dry the lemons and then remove the peel. Make sure that you just have peel and no white pith, which will make the resulting drink bitter. I used a peeler and then scraped off any remaining pith. It can be time consuming peeling and scraping a big pile of lemons but you could always get some friends over to help, open a bottle of wine and make a party of it.
Put the resulting peel in a large glass jar, add the vodka and then leave to steep. The liquid soon takes on a vivid golden color. I left my peels to steep in a dark cupboard for two months. You can probably get away with a shorter time but patience will be rewarded with a more intense flavor.
After two months, make a simple syrup: add 4 cups of sugar to 6 cups of water and simmer until the sugar dissolves. When the syrup is cool, add it to the jar of peels and vodka and leave for another couple of weeks.
Strain the liquid to remove the peels, pour into clean bottles and leave for a week before sampling.
Keep the limoncello bottles in the freezer and you will be able to sample a delightfully chilled glass of Mediterranean sunshine whenever you feel like it.
