Life gave me a lot of lemons this year… so I’m making Limoncello! Meyer Limoncello, that is. Here’s my recipe, using the lemons I grew on my back deck. (You can substitute tangerines in this recipe, and then call it Mandarincello, but use about one-and-a-half times as many peels):
—Wash and peel 25 or so Meyer lemons. Put the peels into a 2-liter glass container. (Squeeze the lemons and set aside the juice for lemon sorbet. Mmmm….).
—Pour the contents of 2 750-ml bottles of Vodka over the peels. Put the jar in a cool dark place for 40 days to 2 months. Every few days, or whenever you remember, gently turn and rotate the jar upside down to distribute the flavors, although I don’t really know that this is necessary, but it makes me feel like I’m helping things along.
—After 40 days to 2 months, create a simple syrup of 4 cups sugar and 4 cups water. Mix the sugar and water together in a saucepan and heat on the stove until dissolved and starting to thicken, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
—At this point, you’ll realize that you should have started out with a 3-liter bottle to begin with, so if you didn’t read ahead, then you and I are both going to have to now transfer the contents to a 3-liter bottle. Add the syrup to the vodka and lemon mixture, and let sit an additional 10 days.
—After 10 days, strain the mixture and pour into bottles that have been cleaned and boiled. Let rest for another 10 days before serving. Or go ahead and drink it now, what the hell.
I keep a small bottle of Limoncello in the freezer, where it turns nice and syrupy and ice cold, a perfect after-dinner summer refresher.