Limoncello

Preparation

Apparently I had a lot of catching up to do on the food blog, posting a few times this week should catch me up to where I am right now.  I’ve experimented with a lot of things that I’d been wanting to try and finally got to a lot of them.  Hopefully later this week or next week I’ll cover a cool lamb dinner I made a couple of weeks ago because it was fantastic and because I’ve got more things I’ll be making in the coming weeks and don’t want to fall so far behind again!  So the next post will definitely be the lamb dish I made (especially since I’ve been asked by a lot of people for the recipe).

5 weeks in the jar

So here’s a brief post on something I make at the onset of the cooler months - which for us here in New York, is around October.  Citrus fruits are good in the cooler months.  And I love limoncello.  Not that stuff you find in liquor stores that’s bright yellow and gooey and thick - personally I think that’s gross.  To me, a proper limoncello is the kind you make at home.  And everyone always sounds so impressed when I saw I make it at home, but the truth is, it’s really easy to do.

I have a large jar, I’m not exactly sure how large it is but it’s very large.  To make the limoncello, I peel 12 lemons - and I only use the peel, no pith (the white part - it tastes bitter).  I place the peels in the jar and then add 2 liters of vodka.  It doesn’t have to be expensive vodka - Absolut or Iceberg will do.  I seal the jar and let it sit for 5 weeks.  I shake it once a day and keep it out of the sunlight.

The finished product!

At the end of the 5 weeks, I decant it (and it smells amazing) into a large bowl or pot, and in a medium sized pan, I make a simple syrup of 6 cups sugar and 3 cups water.  Simple syrup is easy to make - swirl the pan around but don’t stir it - that might make it grainy instead of clear and smooth.  Once the syrup cools, I add it to the lemon infused vodka, stir it, and put it in bottles (usually a few empty vodka bottles) and it’ll last in the freezer for about a year (if you can prevent yourself from drinking it all in under a year!).

Sounds really easy, right?  That’s because it is.

There are also 2 variations on limoncello, which I’ve made a bunch of times as well.  One is mandarino - I peel 9 mandarin oranges (I’ve used tangerines instead) and use the same amount of vodka and simple syrup.  The other is zenzerino - that’s the peels of 7 naval oranges and 1/2 lb fresh grated ginger and the same amount of vodka and simple syrup.  (At least that’s what the recipe calls for - I prefer finely chopped ginger as it doesn’t just turn to sediment instead and the drink remains clear once decanted.)

Enjoy limoncello after dinner, or use it as an ingredient in some really fun cocktails!