Homemade Limoncello

I’ve been working on some homemade limoncello for about a month… it’s finally ready!  Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the coast of Amalfi.  I was introduced to limoncello when I was living in Milan. Italian’s serve it chilled as an after-dinner digestivo (to aid in digestion) in small glasses. Limoncello is common in Italy but has recently become popular in other parts of the world.

The hardest part of making your own limoncello is waiting a 4 weeks (minimum) for the lemon rind to infuse into the vodka.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own.

• 8 large lemons, preferably organic
• one 750ml bottle of 100-proof vodka
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup of white sugar

Scrub the lemons to get rid of any spray, wax or dirt.

With a citrus zester peel the zest (yellow part) from the lemons, leaving the white part behind.Put the lemon rinds into a large glass jar with the vodka, screw the lid on tightly, and store in a cool dark place (but not a refrigerator).  Let the lemon rinds and vodka brew for minimum of 4 weeks.  The longer they are together the better it will turn out.

Strain the vodka into a large bowl or container and discard the lemon rinds.

Bring the water to a soft boil and dissolve the sugar in it.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Mix sugar water with lemon vodka.  Bottle the limoncello into glass bottles.  Let rest for 24 hours then refrigerate.

Serve chilled in decorative glasses after dinner.  I found four crystal glasses for 8$ at a second hand store! and they add that extra somethin’ somethin’.  ENJOY ♥