When life gives you lemons...

There’s an old adage that says, “When life gives you lemons” to which most people respond, “make lemonade.” I say when life gives you lemons make limoncello.

Limoncello is an Italian liquor that’s often served after a meal as a digestive. It is made with beautiful sunshine yellow lemons, plucked right at the peak of ripeness and sweetened with sugar. And while it isn’t easy to hop on a plane to Italy just for some lemons, a six-hour flight to Los Angeles did the trick.

In the sunny hills of Southern California lies a town set at the base of the Angeles National Forest. There in Altadena is a small bungalow with an ever-fruiting lemon tree. Yes, I know I said “lemon tree” as in singular, but that is all one needs. Even though this tree happens to belong to my brother and his wife, these lemons are the best I believe I have ever tasted. I know there are some who will tell me otherwise, but given that I have tasted lemons from various countries, (including the ever famous Menton lemon from the south of France) in my mind these rival any other lemon in the world.

Because of the fairly temperate climate of Altadena and given that it never really gets cold (at least by New England standards) this tree perpetually fruits year-round. That allows its owners to pick each lemon quite literally at the peak of perfection.

On a recent trip to visit my brother, this very tree gave me endless opportunities to experiment. From tiny Lemon Shortbreads to Lemon Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast to Honeyed Lemonade and even the very topic of this post, Limoncello, I reveled in the taste of lemon.

Now I will admit, making Limoncello does require a bit of patience. It is a very simple, albeit lengthy process taking about three months to complete. It is imperative that you do not rush it; otherwise you will be left with a less than lemony liquor. I myself have just started a batch and will keep you posted on how it goes.

To start, you need 750 ml of good vodka. Make sure you do not use cheap vodka! It will alter the taste of the Limoncello. I used Tenure Vodka from Poland. It is a very clean tasting vodka with hints of vanilla and lemons. But the key is to have a very clean liquor to start with.

You will need to pour out about a ½ cup of the vodka to make room for the lemon zest and sugar. This is a perfect opportunity to make yourself a drink or simply sip the vodka while you embark on this wonderful journey.

Then you will need to wash and zest 15 lemons with a microplane or grater. Yes, I said 15 lemons. I know this seems a little excessive but the effort is well worth it. Make sure you are only grating down to the white pith. You do not want to have any white pith in the limoncello. This will make it very bitter. Funnel the lemon zest into the bottle. The bottle needs to be airtight so no outside contaminants can grow in the bottle. I put a small square of plastic wrap over the open bottle and then I screwed the top back on.

This mixture needs to be placed in a cool, dark place, preferably in a basement. Let it sit for 2 months, giving a gentle shake every week or so. This allows the oils from the zest to mingle with the vodka. After 2 months take the limoncello out of the cellar. The next step is to make sugar syrup. In a small saucepot combine 3 cups of sugar to 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue to cook it until all the sugar is dissolved and begins to thicken. Let the mixture cool. Carefully pour the syrup into the bottle and re-cap it. This needs to be shaken and placed back into the cellar for another three weeks to a month.

After that long month is over, and yes it seems like forever, take the bottle out once more. This is one of the more labor-intensive parts of this project. Strain the limoncello through a fine strainer and press out the vodka. Throw out the zest. Then place a coffee filter in the strainer and ladle small amounts into the filter. This is a very important step that should not be rushed. This will remove the impurities from the liquor. You may need a few extra filters. When the liquid no longer drips through, it is time to use a new filter.
Continue do this until all the liquor is filtered.

After this long process you should have wonderful, lemony liquor that can be enjoyed year round or given as gifts to your friends!