Ingredients
Lemon infusion
- 6 lemons washed and dried; yellow peel only
- 750 ml vodka 40% ABV, commercially produced
Sugar syrup
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 250 ml water
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler
- Clean 1.5-liter glass jar with lid
- Small saucepan
- Fine strainer
- Measuring jug
- Funnel
- Clean bottles
Instructions
Infuse, sweeten and chill
- Wash the lemons under running water, dry them and peel off thin strips of yellow zest. Trim away any thick white pith. Reserve the peeled fruit for another use; lemon juice is not added to this liqueur.
- Place the peels in a clean glass jar and add the vodka. Close tightly, label and leave in a cool, dark place for 14 days, gently turning the closed jar once a day. Keep it away from heat, flames and children.
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool completely. Do not heat the vodka.
- Strain the lemon infusion through a fine strainer into a clean measuring jug. Discard the peels. Stir in the cooled sugar syrup.
- Transfer to clean bottles, label as alcoholic limoncello with the preparation date and refrigerate. Chill thoroughly before serving small portions. The final yield is approximately 1.1 liters; it is not a measured alcohol-strength test.
Video
Notes
Use only commercially produced beverage vodka. Do not use rubbing alcohol, denatured alcohol or an unverified spirit. This 40%-vodka formula is different from high-proof grain-alcohol recipes, so do not interchange their water ratios. Refrigerate the finished liqueur; do not assume it is suitable for freezer storage.
The Vincenzo’s Plate video shows lemon-peel infusion and syrup blending, but uses higher-proof alcohol and different proportions and timing. Follow this card’s vodka formula. Adults of legal drinking age only; do not serve to anyone avoiding alcohol, and do not drive after drinking.