It's easy to make homemade Limoncello...all you need are four ingredients and time. Intensely lemony and sweet, a little goes a long way!Adapted from Jo-Lynne Shane
1bottlevodka, or another grain alcohol, see Recipe Notes
For the simple syrup
1cupwater
1cupgranulated sugar
Instructions
Make the base: Wash the lemons and remove the zest with a peeler, avoiding the white part (pith). Cut away any pith that ends up on the peels if you cut too deeply.
Place the zest in a quart mason jar and pour over the vodka. Seal the jar tightly and give it a good shake. Let it sit for 1 to 2 weeks, shaking daily. The longer it sits, the more flavor you'll get from the zest...when the peels lose color, the infusion is ready.
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, squeezing the zest to get all the liquid out.
Make the simple syrup: Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring occasionally. Cool the syrup to room temperature.
Add the syrup to the limoncello base. A little warm syrup makes a nice cloudy limoncello.
Using a funnel, pour the liqueur into a sealable glass bottle.
You can store the limoncello in the freezer in warmer area (like on the door). Alternatively, keep chilled in the refrigerator. Longer aging means more intense flavors.
Serve chilled and enjoy!
Notes
Not to waste anything, you can juice the zested lemons and save it for another use.Use a vodka you like to drink. You can also try infusion a different type of grain alcohol for a different flavor profile.Limoncello is intensely lemony and sweet, and a little goes a long way!