Saw your web recipe for limoncello and thought you might be interested in mine, which is way better than the chronicle recipe. Mine is authentic, i.e. Italian, from a Ligurian family recipe. You have to have access to a real lemon tree (I guess that pretty much restricts it to California in the US) because the lemons should be green. Makes a huge difference and it is what is always used for authentic Italian lemoncello. I believe it makes a difference if the lemons are fresh, fresh, fresh, like just picked, but I haven't tried to test that hypothesis.
(You absolutely need organic lemons. There is no way you can scrub pesiticides from lemons. Commercial lemons are sprayed using standards that are based on using the juice. There is no consideration that people will use the zest, even though they always do. I am not an organic-fanatic, but I never use citrus zest that is not organic. Especially in this recipe where the alcohol will solubilize every molecule of pesticide residue.)
Zest the lemons (you know the drill, only the colored part, none of the bitter white pithy part). Add the zest to the alcohol. Let sit 2 weeks.
After the 2 weeks, warm water (use good, bottled mineral water) and sugar until the sugar disolves. Cool the sugar water. Strain the lemon-flavored alcohol. Mix 'em and let sit for two weeks.
Keep it in the freezer and serve in ice-cold cordial glasses. Great after dinner. We also like it in Tejava iced tea, about 2oz to a glass.
| Units of
measurement (unless stated otherwise) |
|
| 1 cup = 8 ounces =
236ml |
1 quart = 32 ounces =
944ml |
| 1 tbsp (tablespoon) =
1/2 ounce = 15ml |
1 fifth = 25.6 ounces = 750ml |
| 1 tsp (teaspoon) =
1/6 ounce = 5ml |
1 pint = 16 ounces =
472ml |