Bottled Sunshine - Limoncello

Il Sole in Bottiglia - Limoncello

I've just been given the family recipe for Limoncello... and it would be a shame not to share.

You can find 'pure' alcohol in Italian and German supermarkets - otherwise use a cheap neutral spirit like vodka. The resulting liquor won't be as potent - or tasty, according to the professore who donated the recipe...



Limoncello
Ingredients:
10 Lemons (medium-large size, unwaxed)
1 litre Alcohol 'puro' (95%)
600g granulated sugar

Makes:
Limoncello at about 45% and enough for at least 1.5 litres.
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Clean the lemons really well and leave to soak for at least 2 hours in water and bicarbonate of soda. Dry.

Peel the lemons and collect just the yellow part of the peel - the white (pith) will make your drink bitter.

Add the yellow peel and alcohol to a clean, airtight, stoppered container.
Close and place in a cool, dark space to macerate. Shake or turn over the container once per day and leave for at least 15 days.

When you're ready to make the limoncello, boil 1 litre of water. Slowly add the sugar, stirring constantly. As soon as all the sugar is dissolved, take off the heat and leave to cool completely.

Remove all the peel from the alcohol.

When the syrup is cool, mix well with the infused alcohol and decant into clean, sealable bottles (I think I'm going to use 500ml bottles first time around).

Place bottles in the freezer and serve very cold - preferably after a long, jovial lunch.