Thanks to a post on Bostonist and urging from my fellow Google Reader addicts I decided to test my hand at making Limoncello. Today I completed the first step in this 3 part recipe. Honestly I’m a little scared of Limoncello. We all know what happened to Danny Devito after having a few too many with my boyfriend George Clooney. Tune in on Tuesday for Part 2 of my adventures in alcohol infusing. On a completely different note, while my kitchen smells like a lemon scented heaven what can I do with the 10 zestless lemons that are now sitting on my counter (besides the obvious gallon of lemonade)? Any thoughts?
Limoncello (Recipe originally published by Giada DeLaurentiis)
10 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups sugar
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.