Limoncello

Holy crap I've been away from this blog for what feels like forever.  I've been ultra busy with school lately, preparing for my preliminary oral exams.  The good news is, I PASSED BOTH OF THEM!!!  I passed the second exam this morning.  For those of you outside of the academic world, passing these exams means that I can start working on my dissertation!  Needless to say, I am extremely relieved that I passed, and very excited to begin this next chapter.  I promised myself that I would take a little time off from dissertation stuff to catch up on other projects that have been pushed aside while preparing for my orals and take some time to relax.  The relaxation component will definitely include lots of cooking and baking, so look for lots of updates in the future!


Can you think of a better way to celebrate my return to blogging and passing my orals than with a post about an alcoholic beverage?  Yeah, me either.  With that, I bring you a recipe for making homemade limoncello!  It's very easy, but takes quite a bit of time.  One month, to be exact.


I found this recipe on the website The Full Moxie.


You'll need:


To start


1 750 ml bottle of plain vodka (use something at least middle of the road here, but also don't feel obligated to shell out the cash dollars for Belvedere or something)
15 lemons


To finish


1 cup sugar
1 cup water


Zest all of your lemons into a bowl, or do it over some foil or something.  Be careful to not accidentally zest your hands.  That really kind of sucks, and stings a lot.  Not that I'd know...

Combine your vodka and zest in a container that has a lid.  Put this container in a cupboard, or some other cool, dark, out of the way place for 30 days.

~1 month later~

Now that you've been patiently waiting for 30ish days, let's get back to work by making a simple syrup.  Pour the sugar and water into a small sauce pan and turn the heat up to medium.  Stir occasionally, allowing the mixture to come to a boil.  Let it boil for a minute or so, just until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Let this cool to room temperature.


While the simple syrup is cooling, run your vodka-zest mixture through a strainer.  I ran mine through once, then lined the strainer with paper towels and gave it another pass through, just to be sure that I got all of the smaller particles.


Once the simple syrup has cooled, combine it with the vodka, and give it a stir.  Then pour it into the vessel of your choice!  A funnel will help greatly here.  You should be left with a clear, yellow liquid.  Enjoy!  

  Not sure what to do with your limoncello?  I have a feeling that Foodgawker can help.


UPDATE!  You can also use this limoncello to make a delicious cocktail known as the Limoncello Collins!