One friendly LIMONCELLO

The Italian lemon liqueur known as LIMONCELLO is traditionally an after-dinner drink that aids in digestion. But this sweet and tangy liqueur can also be a wonderful ingredient in cooking and baking. Limoncello is great with many Italian desserts, as tiramisu and ricotta pie, it tastes wonderful on fresh fruits, on salads and seafood and it brings lots of flavor into some alcoholic cocktails.

Ingredients

• 1 liter of grain alcohol (90%)
• 2 pounds of lemons
• 2 pounds of sugar
• 1 liter of water
• patience

 

1. Choose 2 pounds of organic lemons to avoid pesticides and ensure the maximum lemon flavor.
2. Wash carefully the lemons. With a vegetable peeler, remove the peel of the lemons. To avoid the bitter taste, remove the white pith from the zest strips using a sharp knife.
3. Put the peels in a glass or a ceramic container (ex: 1 gallon glass jar), pour the alcohol over the peels. Seal the container to avoid alcohol evaporation.
4. Steep the lemon peels in the alcohol for 10-14 days at room temperature. Shake the jar once each day.
5. After 10-14 days, the alcohol turns yellow. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer in another recipient. Press the peels to extract as much liquid and flavor as possible.
6. Prepare some sugar syrup using 1 liter of water and 1 kg of sugar. Put the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved (5-7 minutes). Cool completely.
7. Mix the sugar syrup with the alcohol. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold.
8. Serve it ice cold. Use it with moderation because the drink is 40-50% proof!!! Also remember that there are 103 calories in a 30 ml shot and they all come from carbs.

Enjoy!