Italian Lemon Liqueur Limoncello The Recipes

TRADITIONAL ITALIAN LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Zest lemons, making sure to get the outermost part of the skin and avoid the white pith.
• Place lemon zest in a glass bowl and cover with alcohol. Cover and let infuse at room temperature until yellowish in color, about 7 days.
• Bring water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Pour alcohol into the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer; discard lemon zest. Stir well.
• Pour limoncello into thick, freezer-safe glass bottles. Store in the freezer for at least 2 weeks before serving.

LIMONCELLO (LEMON LIQUEUR)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash a 1-gallon glass jar and lid in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Alternatively, run the jar and lid through the regular cycle of your dishwasher.
• Scrub the lemons in warm water and pat dry.
• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from each lemon in wide strips. Be careful not to remove the white pith, which will impart a bitter flavor to the limoncello.
• Place the lemon peels in the prepared jar and pour in 1 bottle of the alcohol .
• Push down the lemon peels with a wooden spoon to completely submerge them in the liquid.
• Tightly secure the lid and set the jar in a cool, dark place to steep. Stirring is not necessary.
• After 20 or 40 days, add the second bottle of alcohol to the mixture.
• Place the sugar and 7 1/2 cups of the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Decrease to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to ensure that all the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool.
• When the sugar syrup is completely cool, add it to the lemon and alcohol mixture in the jar.
• Tightly secure the lid, and return the jar to a cool, dark place to steep for an additional 20 to 40 days. Over time, the liquid will absorb the flavor from the lemon peels and turn bright yellow in color.
• To bottle, first wash the bottles in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Alternatively, run the bottles through the regular cycle of your dishwasher.
• Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer, or coffee filter set in a strainer, into a large bowl.
• Add 1 2/3 cups of water to the limoncello if you used 151-proof grain alcohol; add 2 cups of water if you used 190 proof. (Note: The addition of the water will turn the liquid cloudy and pale yellow in color. This is the desired outcome.)
• Let it rest for a moment so that any remaining sediment will fall to the bottom of the bowl.
• Using a narrow neck funnel, ladle the limoncello into the prepared bottles, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and secure the lids.
• Serve after dinner as a sipping beverage and enjoy.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• 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.