Limoncello

Homemade Limoncello

When life gives you lemons, make booze. Lemonade is for 6 year-olds trying to make baseball card money - this stuff is for sharing with friends and celebrating life the right way, with a clink!

This recipe has evolved over the years from one a friend gave me back in college. After many test batches and late holiday shots, a new and absolutely crowd pleasing recipe has emerged. This is beyond easy to make and a great addition to any party or a wonderful homemade gift for all occasions. Most limoncello is just booze aged with lemon zest with a ton of sugar but our recipe calls for lemon juice and very little sugar - the result is a tart, bright and zippy limoncello that won't leave your mouth sticky but will certainly warm you up!

Yield: 2.5L 80 proof (40%) Limoncello Ingredients
1 L of grain alcohol (190 proof)
8 organic lemons (no wax and much happier trees)
1 L distilled water
500 mL lemon juice
3 tbs sugar

Procedure
Use a micro-plane to zest all of the lemons, being careful to avoid the pith (white part). In a large enough glass container, combine the 1 liter of grain alcohol with 1 liter of distilled water and add in the lemon zest. If you'd like to make it stronger, omit some water or add more if you'd like it less potent. The most popular batches are between 40-80 proof, be cautious though because anything lower than 40 will likely freeze if stored in the freezer.

Let this mixture age for 1-2 weeks, longer is fine as well. When you're ready, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and add the mixture to the container. Finally, strain it carefully with cheesecloth in to a beautiful bottle and you're good to go! It tends to taste best ice-cold and after it has sat for a few days, so plan ahead.