What to do when life gives you lemons….make limoncello of course!

Oh how I love lemons.  We have a very mature tree in our yard and she gives us lemons on the regular.  Like I’m overwhelmed with lemons, but thankfully I have many uses for them and I always give tons to my mom and friends so they never go to waste.

When summer hits lemons means limoncello!  I usually stick to my wine, but every now and then a little aperitif of limoncello is just what the doctor ordered (if doctors would actually prescribed adult bevs!).

The recipe is simple, but it does take a few days of prep work before the golden lemon vodka deliciousness is ready.  Give it a whirl and see how easy (and delicious) this Italian aperitif comes together.

5-10 lemons (our tree produces extremely large lemons so I only used five but smaller lemons will require more)

1 750 ml of vodka – I used Tito’s for this particular recipe https://www.titosvodka.com/

2 cups of sugar – I used pure cane sugar which is off white so it lends a bit of a honey instead of lemon color to the drink but it still tastes wonderful

3 cups of water

Peel the lemon skin off all the lemons and place in a container with the full bottle of vodka.  Leave the mixture on the counter (room temperature) for anywhere between 4-6 days.  After 4-6 days place the water and sugar into a pan and heat until the sugar completely dissolves.  Let the mixture cool  and pour into container with lemon peels and vodka, cover and let it sit for 12-24 hours (I did this in the morning and finished it the next morning).  After the flavors have melded strain the mixture it to get rid of the lemon peels.  Pour the limoncello into a container (I use two cleaned clear wine bottles) and place in the refrigerator.  Make sure you allow the mixture to cool completely in the refrigerator before you drinking.  Cheers!