Monday, May 31, 2010

Limoncello Part 1

What Do you do when you have huge bag of Lemons given to you?
Why Make a batch of Limoncello of Course!
A friend of mine Gave me a huge bag of lemons and they have been rolling around in the back of my car for a few days. Then I saw a blog post fromSonnet of the Moon. and my mind flashed back to last summer in Montana, where I had my first experience with the wonderful Italian lemon liquor.
Limoncello takes from 40 to 80 days to prepare so if you want to have some ready by August, you should start a batch now. Don't let the long time frame fool you...you have fairly little work to do along the way. And what work there is will be well worth it. Served straight from the freezer, limoncello is a light and refreshing treat on a hot summer evening.


Ingredients for Step 1~
-One .75 liter bottle of 100 proof vodka (you will need another bottle for Step 2 so you can buy them both now if you wish)
-14 fresh lemons. Look for lemons with thick, healthy, fragrant skins
-A one gallon glass jar with lid
-MicroPlane Zester( I of Course recommend the Pampered Chef microplane Zester it will zest your lemons perfect and it will help avoid getting to the Pith)

Pour one bottle of vodka into your freshly washed and dried jar.
After washing and drying all your lemons, zest the skins directly into the vodka. Avoid zesting the white pith as it is bitter and will affect the taste of your limoncello.

When finished, screw the lid on the jar and swirl all the zest into the vodka. Your zest will take up most of the space in the vodka and will turn it a cloudy yellow. Place the jar in a cool, dark spot for 20 to 40 days. Swirl your jar every few days if you can remember.
Check back for Step 2!~


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