Homemade liqueursIntermediate

Homemade limoncello

The homemade liqueur, and one of the few that turns out better at home than bought. Three ingredients and fifteen minutes of work; time does the rest.

Ingredients

  • 8 large unwaxed lemons
  • 750 ml 95% grain alcohol or good vodka
  • 500 g white sugar
  • 700 ml water

Preparation

  1. Wash and dry the lemons thoroughly. Peel them with a vegetable peeler, taking only the yellow part: the white pith underneath is bitter, and it is the mistake that ruins the most limoncellos.
  2. Put the peels in a large jar with the alcohol, seal it and leave it somewhere cool and dark. Two weeks minimum, up to a month if you are patient.
  3. Shake it every two or three days. You will know it is ready when the peels have lost their colour and the alcohol has turned a deep yellow.
  4. Make the syrup with the sugar and water, heating without boiling until dissolved, and let it cool COMPLETELY. Poured warm over the infusion, it clouds the liqueur permanently.
  5. Strain out the peels, mix the alcohol with the cold syrup and bottle it. Let it rest another week before tasting: freshly mixed it tastes harsh, and that week rounds it out.

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