Limeoncello, Part 1

Limeoncello is one of the great Italian contributions to the liqueur world (and when I say “one of” I mean one of the, say, 569). The sun god of Italian liqueurs, limeoncello is golden, glowing, and regal, taken both before and after dinner. There are many er KG), I realized I should make limeoncello, instead of buying it. It’s one of the benefits of living here, asbrands, some available only here and some available here and in the states, but most (and pretty much every one available stateside) branded and professionally bottled limeoncellos aren’t as flavorsome, or as filled with umph, as the homemade varieties you find in ristorantes here, or the limoncello folks here and there make themselves. When I came across some very reasonably-priced lemons in the market the other day (1 euro per KG), I realized I should make limeoncello, instead of buying it. It’s one of the benefits of living here, as opposed to visiting. So, we bought a bunch of lemons::

peeled them (Nat did, that is):

added the peels to a big glass container:

and then added grain alcohol (or vodka) and put them in a dry spot away from sun for a couple weeks before we’ll add the sweetener:

I can hardly wait for that first chilled glass.

PS: The recipe followed is generally the one from Luscious Liqueurs, my book of homemade liqueurs, in case you want to make your own limeoncello, which you should.