making limoncello

making limoncello: step 1, a photo by lefiligree on Flickr.

preface: it goes without saying: go to costco and get a bag of lemons and a the 2L bottle of vodka.

step 1: scrub 15 lemons. have 2L of vodka on hand. only the peels are needed; use the juice to make arnold palmers.



step 2: peel the lemons and place peels in a growler.



step 3: fill the growler with vodka. set aside for 40 days and think of some biblical analogies while you wait.



step 4: when the kids get excited about all those lemons, and you tell them they wont get to drink the limoncello, regain your morality and make them some arnold palmers with the juice. this of course involves juicing 15 lemons and adding a 1.75:8:1.5 sugar-water-lemon juice ratio for the lemonade half. we usually have a case of xing tea on hand for the iced tea half (again, from costco). but you could make sun tea if you're cool like that. then mix 1/2 lemonade with 1/2 iced tea. you will never drink them separately again.

step 5: after 40 days strain the vodka from the peels. (yes, it's a bugger getting those peels out of the growler. why did i put them in there?) mix with a simple syrup (4:5 sugar to water) and bottle up. multiple growlers are handy for this unless you're giving it away and then bottle it up in the tiniest containers your conscience will allow. maybe add a bow so people wont think youre stingy.