Is life giving you lemons? Make Limoncello!
If you're finding yourself with too many lemons and not sure what to do with them, put the whole lemon to use and make limoncello, then lemonade!
If you haven't enjoyed it yet, Limoncello is a sweet, sometimes tart cordial that can be enjoyed alone over ice, or mixed in a cocktail or even just seltzer for a spritzer. I never knew just how easy it is to make- the biggest challenge is the wait!
"Drink the Harvest" by Nan K. Chase and DeNeice C. Guest has a lot of delicious recipes to make drink concoctions from your garden, including wines, cider and teas. I followed their recipe for Luscious Limoncello. This recipe can easily be doubled or halved. And if you double it, you can make smaller bottles for a great homemade holiday gift! I'll update my batch in a few months when it is complete. Let me know if you make any!
Luscious Limoncello
(by Nan K. Chase and DeNeice C. Guest)
8 organic lemons
1 quart vodka
1 quart filtered water
3 3/4 cups sugar
1. Rinse lemons, and grate outer zest with a fine zester, being careful not to use any of the white inner pith. Grating over a sheet of parchment paper makes collecting and handling the zest easier. Zest should be the consistency of parmesan cheese. (*I didn't grate this round of zest, you can easily just peel the lemon zest but remember to avoid the pith).
2. Empty the lemon zest into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid. You can use one large half gallon jar or smaller ones, whatever you have on hand. Fill with vodka. If making smaller batches divide between containers. Close the jar and store in a cool closet or pantry for 1-3 months or longer.
3. After the mixture has steeped, boil the water in a saucepan and add sugar, and cook for 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved (This is a simple syrup. Handy recipe to have on hand for everything!) Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp.
4. Add the sugar syrup to the jar, cover and allow to steep for another month or more. If you used smaller jars and need space, move it to a larger container.
5. When the final steep is finished, Strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth moistened first with filtered water. Pour the limoncello into clean, smaller bottles using a funnel, and seal with stoppers.