Limoncello

2016-04-01

Ingredients

  • 1 750ml bottle of 151-proof Vodka*
  • peeled skin from 12 Lemons
  • 2 cups Granulated Sugar
  • 2¾ cups Water

  • Wash and then peel the lemons (yellow part only). Place the peels in a 1-liter jar and top with the vodka. Let sit on the counter for 4-7 days, swirling occasionally. After infusing for a week, pour the vodka into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the peels. Stir the sugar in the water, until dissolved, and add it to the infused vodka. Stir and pour into clean bottles and store in the freezer. Yields about 1½-1¾ liters.

  • *if using 190-proof Everclear, your sugar and water quantities should be: 2½ cups sugar and 3½ cups water.

Lemoncello is a popular drink enjoyed after dinner in Italy. It has a bright, bold, lemon taste without the sour component of the lemon juice. Traditionally made with Sorrento lemons, but you can use any lemons. Just make sure to choose ones with a bright firm skin. You’ll also need HIGH PROOF spirit to extract the lemon oil most efficiently, like food chemists or perfumers extract essential oils from peels or flowers. It will cloud up when the lemon oil infused alcohol is mixed with the simple syrup because of the emulsification of the water and lemon oil. It’s called the Louche effect or Ouzo effect, and is seen in Raki or Absinthe and similar spirits. If you use a standard-proof vodka (or not enough lemon peel) you will not get the cloudy appearance and will probably not have as intense of a lemon flavor as you could. The Louche effect is a sign of high lemon oil content, which is what you want!

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