Limoncello

Zest only, steeped in spirit, with the syrup added cold at the end.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 10 unwaxed lemons
• 1 litre neutral spirit, 95 per cent, or vodka
• 700 g caster sugar
• 1 litre water

Method

1. Scrub and dry the lemons. Unwaxed, because the wax steeps out along with everything else.
2. PARE THE ZEST WITH A VEGETABLE PEELER, TAKING NO WHITE PITH AT ALL. Hold a strip up: if you can see white, scrape it off. Pith is the one thing that makes limoncello bitter, and no amount of sugar covers it.
3. The flesh is not used. Juice it for something else.
4. Put the zest in a jar with the spirit and seal it. STEEP 10 TO 14 DAYS somewhere dark, shaking it daily. The spirit goes bright yellow and the zest turns pale and brittle, which is how you know it has given everything up.
5. Strain it and press the zest, then discard it.
6. Boil the sugar and water, then COOL THE SYRUP COMPLETELY before combining. Warm syrup into spirit drives off the alcohol that carries the aroma, and it turns the liqueur cloudy in a way that never clears.
7. Mix, bottle, and rest it a further two weeks before drinking. Keep it in the freezer, where it will not freeze and should pour thick.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes