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| Lemons to be zested. The file works great! |
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| After 30 days the zest has turned almost completely white. I dampen the filter before straining to maximize yield. |
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| Beautiful clarity after straining. |
yield: approximately 2 ea. 750ml bottles.
This recipe uses Grain Alcohol which has a very high alcohol content; the 190 proof is preferred as sugar water will be added at the end of the process which will reduce the alcoholic content to 90 proof or so. This level will allow you to keep the limoncello in the freezer without the mixture actually freezing. Serve it straight from the freezer.
- 1ea. 750ml bottle of Everclear (pure grain alcohol)
- the zest of 10 lemons, ideally organic
- 1.75 to 2 cups sugar
- 5 cups water
- Scrub the lemons under hot water; dry
- Zest the lemons with a microplane. Place the zest in a glass jar and add the alcohol. Place the lid on the jar and place the jar in a cool, dark spot. Let the lemon zest mixture sit for at least 30 days. You can leave it for up to 60 days, longer extraction times will yield a more mellow final product.
- When ready to bottle, bring the water and sugar to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Cool to room temperature.
- Strain the lemon zest/alcohol mixture through cheesecloth or coffee filters. The zest will be almost white after extracting in the alcohol for a month or more.
- Combine the alcohol and the sugar water. This should roughly fill 2 ea. standard 750ml bottles. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve. Serve very cold!
