Limoncello

 I'm not Italian, but I lived there for several months while I was in Europe. The culinary world there is so vast and I'm a firm believer that it is impossible to get bad food there! I've tried many different things, but it amazes me on the things that slipped past me. One of these things is Limoncello. Limoncello is an Italian liqueur that originates in southern Italy. It is traditionally served chilled as an after diner digestivo, which is meant to promote digestion. It is sweet, and has a strong lemon flavor, but without the tartness. Basically, it's a Lemon Drop in alcoholic form. 

This past summer, I went to my friends going away party and I struck up a conversation with a local pizza shop owner. He offered me his homemade Limoncello and I was surely impressed! I asked him for the recipe and he wrote it down on a napkin. Surprisingly, it looks very simple to make. So here is the recipe! 

Limoncello
INGREDIENTS:

8 Lemons 

1 750ml bottle of Everclear or Vodka

3 1/2 cups Sugar

750 ml water

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and brush the lemons under hot water. Peel off the zest (the yellow part) of the lemon careful not to peel any of the pith (the white part). A potato peeler works well. Set aside. ***The lemons must be yellow and not green***

Now in a large mason jar, place the lemon peels at the bottom of the jar and pour the alcohol over them. Seal the jar tight and let stand for at least one week at room temperature in an area without sunlight. Some recipes call for  a longer infusion time for up to one month, but one week is sufficient enough to produce a good Limoncello. 

After the seven days, boil the water to a rapid boil. Turn off the flame and add the sugar. Mix well until all sugar has dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature. Using a mesh strainer, take the alcohol lemon infusion and pour into the pot straining out the lemon peels. Mix well again and then pour into bottles. Wait for the Limoncello to cool completely and store in the freezer. 

Serve chilled in a chilled 2 oz glass.