When we think about lemons, we immediately think of lemonade, and more often than not, this evokes memories of childhood. Maybe you had a lemonade stand, selling it on hot summer days to your neighbors and passerbys, while bees buzzed overhead waiting for the moment when they could dip down and swiftly get a taste of the sugar crystals still clinging to the pitcher. Or maybe you had a mom like mine, who made it most days in the summer, painstakingly squeezing each half of each lemon, until every drop of juice had been extracted, while my brother and I impatiently waited to have our first sip, knowing that it would taste syrupy sweet, yet at the same time cause us to involuntarily purse our lips as that first streak of sweet lemony acid touched the base of our throat. As much as lemonade reminds us of times of innocence and shimmering sun rays of summer, lemons do have a darker side. Saccharyne sweet with a bite, this mixture of lemon rinds, alcohol, sugar and water, is known as Limoncello, an Italian aperitif. The truth regarding its origin is vague and the legends are many and interesting. Some believe that the recipe for Limoncello came to life in a monastic convent to delight the monks from prayer to prayer, and others believe that it was drunk in the morning by fishermen to fight off the cold. Bending through a series of anecdotes and legends, Limoncello delights and soothes, and continues to be discovered by soon to be devotees of the liqueur.
Limoncello recipes vary based on who you talk to, and the cookbook that you’re using. Depending on the recipe, Limoncello can take anywhere from 4 to 60 days to produce, you can use Everclear grain alcohol or Vodka, and tap or distilled water, but the recipes do agree on one thing….that true Limoncello can’t be called Limoncello unless the lemons used are from Sorrento, a picturesque town on the Amalfi Coast. With a perfect balance of acid and sugar, those lemons, also nicknamed “femminello”, give Limoncello its name, otherwise you’re just drinking Limoncino, its less attractive brother. Who knew?
With that in mind, and after talking about making Limoncino, for over a week, DB (Dear Boyfriend) gathered all of the ingredients, and as of yesterday, the process has begun! On this beautiful March day, though the wind made it seem more like one of those perfect October days, and as I looked out into the yard from our front door, he harvested the ripest lemons from our overly fruitful Meyer lemon tree, cranked up Lou Rawls on the record player, and began to zest, to peel, and to pour.
Limoncello recipes vary based on who you talk to, and the cookbook that you’re using. Depending on the recipe, Limoncello can take anywhere from 4 to 60 days to produce, you can use Everclear grain alcohol or Vodka, and tap or distilled water, but the recipes do agree on one thing….that true Limoncello can’t be called Limoncello unless the lemons used are from Sorrento, a picturesque town on the Amalfi Coast. With a perfect balance of acid and sugar, those lemons, also nicknamed “femminello”, give Limoncello its name, otherwise you’re just drinking Limoncino, its less attractive brother. Who knew?
With that in mind, and after talking about making Limoncino, for over a week, DB (Dear Boyfriend) gathered all of the ingredients, and as of yesterday, the process has begun! On this beautiful March day, though the wind made it seem more like one of those perfect October days, and as I looked out into the yard from our front door, he harvested the ripest lemons from our overly fruitful Meyer lemon tree, cranked up Lou Rawls on the record player, and began to zest, to peel, and to pour.
And approximately 6 weeks from now, we’ll be drizzling Limoncino over ice cream, making Limoncino granita, and basically going Limoncino crazy until our next trip to Italy, when we can sip the real thing, while overlooking the Bay of Naples.
Ingredients:
8 Meyer lemons
375 ml of Everclear grain alcohol
600 ml of Absolut Citron vodka
3 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
Combine the Everclear and Absolut, preferably in a large ball jar with a lid. Zest four lemons. Peel the remaining four lemons, making sure to remove the white pith from the peelings, as this will cause bitterness in the finished liqueur. Add the lemon zest and peelings to the mixture. Set aside in a cool, dark place for 30 days. Once a week, gently stir lemon peels to refresh exposure to alcohol. After 30 days, scoop out one of the larger peels and check flexibility. If the peel breaks like a potato chip, move on to the next step. If the peel is still flexible enough to bend without breaking, return the mixture to a cool, dark place and try again in one week. At which time, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool. Meanwhile, strain alcohol infusion mixture through coffee filters, or small chinois, until it runs clear of peelings and zest. Strain as many times a necessary. Return filtered infusion to jar, and add cooled syrup. Return to cool dry place for 15 days to begin mellowing process, and to combine alcohol infusion with syrup, to create finished product. Drink immediately*
*The longer it sits and “ages” the smoother it becomes
8 Meyer lemons
375 ml of Everclear grain alcohol
600 ml of Absolut Citron vodka
3 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
Combine the Everclear and Absolut, preferably in a large ball jar with a lid. Zest four lemons. Peel the remaining four lemons, making sure to remove the white pith from the peelings, as this will cause bitterness in the finished liqueur. Add the lemon zest and peelings to the mixture. Set aside in a cool, dark place for 30 days. Once a week, gently stir lemon peels to refresh exposure to alcohol. After 30 days, scoop out one of the larger peels and check flexibility. If the peel breaks like a potato chip, move on to the next step. If the peel is still flexible enough to bend without breaking, return the mixture to a cool, dark place and try again in one week. At which time, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool. Meanwhile, strain alcohol infusion mixture through coffee filters, or small chinois, until it runs clear of peelings and zest. Strain as many times a necessary. Return filtered infusion to jar, and add cooled syrup. Return to cool dry place for 15 days to begin mellowing process, and to combine alcohol infusion with syrup, to create finished product. Drink immediately*
*The longer it sits and “ages” the smoother it becomes
No comments:
Post a Comment