Summer in a bottle, Italian-style
A few years back I was part of a team putting together a recipe book for an Italian chef. One evening after we had downed tools, a group of us sat in the gentle evening sunshine and cracked open a bottle of decent Limoncello, a southern Italian lemon liqueur. Sipping it in the soft, warm breeze, we all agreed on two things: one, few drinks are more perfectly in harmony with the hazily carefree mood of an al-fresco summer evening; and two, that most commercial brands of Limoncello are, in terms of appearance, aroma and probably flavor, pretty similar to kitchen floor cleaner.
In southern Italy, where lemons grow in abundance, Limoncello is usually home-made. Pouring a few glasses of lemon liqueur that you’ve made yourself – using a centuries-old recipe – and enjoying them with a handful of friends is a gratifying occasion, with the same feeling of cheerful bonhomie whether you’re on the Upper West Side or the Amalfi Coast. Happily, the chef with whom we were working outlined the method for creating home-made Limoncello, so follow the steps below now and you can savor a few lazy, balmy Italian-style evenings with friends later this summer:
- Take 6 unwaxed lemons and soak them in a bowl of cold water for an hour, then remove them and dry with kitchen paper
- Use a peeler to peel the rind away from the lemons, but don’t remove the white pith
- Get a large jar and put the lemon rind in, pour over 75cl of vodka and cover (use a high-proof vodka as it will be diluted later). Leave in a dark place for 20 days
- After this time, place 8oz of superfine sugar and 12oz of bottled water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn of the heat, cover and leave until it’s cold
- Add the cold sugar mixture to the lemon/vodka mixture, strain, and then place in one or two sterilized bottles, seal them, and leave in a cold, dark place for a week
- Serve chilled, and keep in the refrigerator once opened
By Jamie Grafton on April 30, 2009 | 2
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2 Responses to “Summer in a bottle, Italian-style”
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Raissa Nebie
April 30th, 2009 @ 6:09 AM
Great idea Jamie! I’ll get my bottle going this weekend.
Kathryn McGowan
April 30th, 2009 @ 6:17 AM
Oh yes, it’s so much better than the commercial stuff, and no neon yellow food coloring. I like to make it in winter when the citrus fruits are in season in California. Then I stash it in the freezer and wait for summer.