Holiday Liquor

It is not too late to whip up a batch of limoncello for the holidays. This popular Italian lemon liqueur mainly  produced in southern Italy has become a family favorite for us and the perfect way to end any special meal.

This recipe came from Italy but after many years of playing with different American liquors and not ever getting it quite right my Polish boyfriend turned me on to Spirytus. Spirytus is a liquor that no one should ever drink right out of the bottle and for that reason it is perfect for mixing with lemons. I have tried several different liquors vodka, Ever Clear and have even experimented with different flavors like orange, lime and cranberry. The lemon is still the favorite of many and so I will share my process with you.

Happy Holidays!

This was our largest batch ever using 70 large lemons. I will give you the measurements for a smaller starter batch.

You will need:
1.75 liters of Alcohol, pure distilled
3 liters of water
2 pounds sugar
about 30 lemons

 First peal the lemons in to a large glass container. For this recipe to be a success we want the lemon skins because they hold most of the flavor. I used to peal everything the a knife but I have found as our batches grew in size the a sharp vegetable peeler works just as well. The key here is to get the peal with out getting a lot of the white pith of the lemon because the pitch makes it bitter.

This is the Polish liquor I use sadly I have only found it in Illinois.

 Next pour your liquor of choice over the lemon peals. The liquor should come just about 1 inch over the top of the lemon peals. Cover and tightly seal your container. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 48 hours, for larger batches I prefer 72 hours.

This is what happens when you only use the peals of 70 lemons. You are left with a lot of extra juice. It dose freeze well in ice cube trays for later use but I suggest you make friends who like lemon bars and lemon curd if you are going to make this a hobby.

OK, you let the peals and liquor sit for 2-3 days. Now remove the lemon peals form the alcohol and place in a large pot with the water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil for 5 min. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.

The water mixture is in the glass container the alcohol is in the bowl.

When cooled remove the lemon peals from the water mixture and discard. Combine the water mixture with the alcohol by pouring through a filter to remove any impurities.

This last batch made 8, 1-1.5 liter bottles

As you combine the water with the alcohol it will turn a bight cloudy yellow. Carefully bottle the mixture and store in the freezer.

Traditionally Limoncello is served chilled as an after-dinner digestive.