When Life Gives you Lemons.. make Limoncello

On a warm summer morning after peeling for what seemed like forever (and getting increasingly lazy in my efforts to keep the white bits off the peels), I ended up with this – two quarts full of lemon  peels in my jars.

Making Lemoncello

Lemons will go bad quickly if left out without their skins, so either toss them in plastic bags and get them in the fridge right away (and plan to use them soon), or juice them and either use or freeze the juice immediately. I froze the juice, so I now have pre-measured juice all ready for a couple batches each of  frozen lemon yogurt  I’m dying to make.

Then, into the jars with all the lemon peels goes the two bottles of Everclear grain alcohol. You can’t see it very well in this picture, but the lemon peels are growing more and more pale, as the liquid grows more golden yellow.

Finally, it’s  time to finish making the limoncello. The next step is the combining of the sugar and water. It’s not necessary to heat this mixture ..but gently warm it to even a simmer, as long as you keep an eye on it and the sugar is completely dissolved.

And here we are with the finished product! Save all those empty bottles.. they make excellent limoncello containers. Once poured, store your freshly made lemoncello in the freezer.

Note: Limoncello is strong cordial, please use caution! The first sip will warm you down to your toes.. the second sip is very smooth.. the third you will feel a bit fuzzy and not even taste the alcohol in it.. only the delicious lemon! If you do a few shots, let me just say.. you will be the life of the party! Salute!

Lemoncello

Lemoncello Recipe

• 2-750 ml bottle of Everclear pure grain alcohol
• 16  lemons (make sure they’re organic and not sprayed, you’re using the peel!)
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups sugar

Directions:

• Wash the lemons thoroughly.
• Using a peeler, take off the skins being careful not to get any of the white lemon “pith” onto your peelings or it will add bitterness to your limoncello.
• Put the peels into two 1 quart canning jars, with the alcohol and seal the lid tightly. Be sure to date the jars.
• Put the jar in a cool, dry place for 3 weeks or even longer – once a day, shake the contents well to remix everything. You’ll notice the color of the liquid changing to deep yellow and  lemon peels fading.
• Once the base liquid is ready,  dissolve the sugar completely in water by heating it on the stove. Do not boil the sugar syrup. Then cool the sugar-water mixture to room temperature.
• Strain the lemon peels out of the alcohol.  They should snap very  crisp almost as a potato chip and then mix the alcohol with the sugar-water.
• Pour the mixture into bottles which can be sealed tightly and store them in the freezer. Limoncello makes a wonderfully scrumptious gift.

After a long coastal trip from Tuscany via Enzio, Naples, Sorrento to finally Positano.. we stopped for some dinner at a small family run restaurant.. Antonio’s. Our dinner was absolutely delicious and conversation with the owner refreshing. As we were about to say our goodbye’s Antonio asked us to stay a bit longer and disappeared into the restaurant kitchen. When he reappeared he was carrying a very chilled bottle of homemade limoncello, made from his courtyard garden lemon trees. I was so thrilled and told him that we have also been making our own limoncello at home. This seemed to please him even moreso than our generous tip! He shared his tips with me and I with him. Antonio gave me a bottle of his limoncello to ‘ bring home’.. and I lugged that bottle all over Italy for the next month with me! It was great fun comparing notes, and a great first night spent on the Amalfi coast. I still use this same decanter when I make my limoncello and just smile to myself thinking back on that wonderful meeting. Salute Antonio!

Salute Antonio!