Make your own limoncello

Preparation – 10 minutes

We used 3 very large organic lemons for this recipe. You can also use 8 regular sized lemons.

If you do not use organic lemons, it is advisable to wash them well beforehand. There is usually a thin wax coating on non-organic citrus fruit.

Clean a preserving jar well and fill it with 1 litre of 95% or 96% alcohol. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons.

Tip: try to include as little white (pith) as possible. A lot of white pith can result in a bitter aftertaste!

Add all the lemon peel to the preserving jar with the alcohol, and put the lid on. Carefully shake well and place the preserving jar in a dark room.

Leave the lemon peel in the preserving jar for at least 3 weeks. Then proceed to the next step.

Make your own limoncello – 10 minutes

After 3 weeks you can remove the lemon peel from the preserving jar. note: do not remove the peels with your hands. Use a colander and strain out the peel over a large bowl.

Now fill a pan with 1. 4 litres of water and heat it. Add 800 grams of granulated sugar while stirring, and keep stirring until it has dissolved. You don't have to let the sugar water get very hot, or even let it boil.

Once all the sugar has dissolved, let the sugar water cool to about room temperature. Prepare the second (clean) preserving jar.

Add 0. 5 litre of the zest-infused alcohol to each preserving jar. Pour 700 millilitres of cooled sugar syrup into each jar. Stir well, repeat this step for the second preserving jar.

Put the lids on the preserving jars and store them for another 3 to 4 weeks in a cool, dark place. Shake well once in a while.

You can store and use the finished limoncello directly from the preserving jars, but the easiest way is to pour it into long, narrow bottles.

Put the bottles of limoncello in the freezer and serve in a nice little glass, cheers!