Limoncello, Stage 1

It's March, which means spring is right around the corner!  And with spring comes lovely, warm weather and soothing cold drinks.  No more of this I can't feel my freezing toes stuff.

When I got home from work last night, I was feeling both Springy and Domestic, so I actioned the beginning stages of homemade Limoncello.

If you are wondering what this Limoncello stuff is, stop it.  I'll tell you: it's an Italian lemon liqueur. The Google tells me it can also be traced to Sicily, Sardinia and southern France.  You serve it very, very cold, much like you would an icewine, for example. Since there's no lemon juice in it {you use just the lemon peel}, it's deliciously smooth and not bitter in the least.  In short, it's the Ultimate Summer Aperitif.

It's so easy to make - no excuses to not try this at home.  If you have opposable thumbs and access to a market you're instantly pre-qualified.

 

The most challenging part is prancing up to the BevMo counter and buying 100proof vodka without feeling like an eager undergrad. It's harder than you think.

This peels of 8 lemons + 100 proof vodka concoction has to sit for four days. After this point the carb count sky-rockets, because I'll be tossing in a solution of about 2 cups of sugar dissolved in water.  Say what you will, but it's still got loads of Vitamin C.

In the meantime ... any suggestions on what I can do with 8 lemons-worth of juice?

Chin-chin,