The lost limoncello

It's just amazing how much you can forget.

After years of toying with the idea of getting a spare refrigerator/freezer for the basement, the deal finally got done a couple years back. Except things keep getting lost in there. Like the fruitcake I was supposed to douse with bourbon every month or so in order to keep moist. Or the authentic mincemeat that a certain New Englander of my acquaintance just had to make a whole freaking mess of.

Then there is the homemade limoncello. How I missed that in there, well, I really cannot say.

The 'cello was manufactured in the pre-blog days, which is to say that I have no photographs of lemons and sugars and bottles of vodka lying about. Use your imagination.

The two bottles you see here are what's left of a batch that netted around six, if memory serves. They will likely disappear quickly now that they have been unearthed, and so another batch might well be in the pipeline this summer.

For now, though, here is the recipe, should you be interested in giving it a try.

Cent'anni!

Limoncello

Recipe from Imbibe

The full recipe, with photos and more detailed instructions, can be found at the magazine's website.

Ingredients

2 750-milliliter bottles of 100-proof vodka

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

Zest from 12 lemons

Place the zest in a glass jar and add one bottle of vodka. Seal tightly for two weeks.

Strain through cheesecloth into a clean jar or bowl, then add the second bottle of vodka.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add the syrup to the infused vodka.

Pour the limoncello into sterilized bottles, seal and let rest at least a week.