I first heard of Limoncello years ago when my sister described it. She was working at a cheese store in the Italian market in Philadelphia and described a delicious liqueur that her coworker had made. When I heard this, I pictured an elaborate system of tubes and beakers and all kinds of high-tech equipment. I recently decided to try making my own and was surprised at how very simple it is.
The only ingredients are vodka, lemons, sugar and water, which combine to make a sweet and tart liqueur that’s great for mixing or nice to sip ice cold on it’s own after a meal.
Limoncello
Ingredients
• 10 lemons
• 1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
Directions
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.
