Limoncello: Summer in a glass

For a refreshing twist, drop in frozen blackberries

It's hard to believe it's the middle of August and it doesn't feel like summer. That's what happens when you live in the San Francisco Bay Area. 60 degree temperatures with fog rolling in the evenings. My commute home takes me over the San Bruno mountains, and I literally see thick clouds of fog flowing down the mountain like a huge white waterfall, heading towards my little town. Sigh.

To bring back some of that summer pizazz, we made a batch of  limoncello. Now I have never made my own liqueur before, so was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. Dang can I do this with orange peels? Lime peels? In any case, after 4 days of maceration, then an overnight rest with simple syrup, we were left with a lemony yellow mixture. A glass of this concoction was smooth, slightly sweet and heavenly. It took me back to those dog days of summer, sipping a refreshing glass of white on the beach. I tried it with frozen blackberries. And just for fun, we poured it over a dish of vanilla bean ice cream. Ahhh... finally summer. 

Limoncello
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

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.

 Yield: 7 cups

 

A bowl of frozen blackberries a great treat for those "hot" (ahem) Bay Area days

Comments

[Kirk]

Limoncello seems to be the rage nowadays - I've seen them mentioned on several sites. Welcome back, I've missed your posts!

[Beth - The Zen Foodist]

I love limoncello! Thanks for the idea of dropping some berries into it. I don't know why I never thought of that before!

[Wendee Schuessler-Theilemann]

Don't forget - excellent Limoncello can be made in December here in S. California or anywhere you can get your hands on Meyer lemons. I have made the above recipe many times and Meyer lemons make the best by far. They should be arriving in product departments soon. Spendy but worth it! Then I bottle the Limoncello with a cork ( you can buy various bottles at Michaels - and seal the cork with wax - There you go! An excellent hostess gift or a gift to someone with teenagers....for the parents! Grins..