The Greening of Gavin

Limoncello Matured

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Ahh, Limoncello!  One of the most refreshing summer time drinks I have ever tasted.I first wrote about this delightful lemony drink back in August last year in the post, funnily enough, titled Limoncello.  This post also includes the recipe that I used for this batch.

The first batch I made was nice, but it was cloudy, and a slight bitter after-taste.  So I made a second batch two months later.

Now, I thought that I drank this second batch last year with Kim and friends, but it turns out that it was hidden away at the back of the pantry, all sealed safely in a re-purposed coffee jar.  We discovered it on Saturday, so being the adventurous one, I gave it a taste test.  It was delicious, even after having infused for over a year with the lemon rind!

It was still a little cloudy, so I tried something different.  I found some coffee filter papers that were lurking in the pantry, and filtered the Limoncello using a funnel.

It took about an hour for all of the liquid to pass through.  I had to change the paper three times, but got there in the end.

The end result was a perfectly clear liquid.  We store ours in the fridge for a cool, refreshing tipple on those hot summer days.

I don’t know if I would ever leave it to infuse for a whole year if I made it again, but there is certainly no hint of an after-taste, except for lemon of course.  Maybe it is worth making another batch and hiding in the back of the pantry!

We are all looking forward to relaxing days around the yards with a small glass as the sun passes over the yard-arm!

Have any of you tried to make this drink, or something similar?

Limoncello Update

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Over the weekend, I bottled the Limoncello that I made back in August.  You can find the recipe and post at this link.  This is where we left the story.

So to bottle the liqueur, you only need a few things.  The concoction, a sieve, a jug, and a clean bottle.  If you want a really clear liqueur you can strain it through coffee filter paper, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Note the fancy bottle.  I picked it up for $2 at one of the local op shops!

Chilled Limoncello!

What did it taste like?  Well it was as expected.  Liquid Lemony goodness with a kick.  Kim had a little shot glass full, felt tiddly, and just loved it.

I think I made her dreams come true.  Then I made another batch with the same recipe using an old coffee jar as I could not get a proper seal with the old jar.

Rock on summer days next to the pool, sipping limoncello!  This drink is just too good to be true.  Made with organic lemons of course, straight from the tree in my very own backyard.

Limoncello

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As I mentioned yesterday, both Kim and Ben are not well, but never fear, I have my nurses hat on and am looking after them both.  Kim was sick of laying in bed, so I trundled her off to the lounge room, threw on the blankets, and she started watching Under The Tuscan Sun.

Half way through the movie, the main character, who was eying up some hot Italian lad, was told about this wonderful drink called Limoncello which she proceeded to drink.  Kim then asked if I could make some.  The reply was of course I can!

With lots of lemons on the tree, and a bottle of vodka in the cupboard, I set myself the task of making this luscious lemon liqueur.  After a bit of research on the net, the consensus was a recipe that goes kind of like this.  I borrowed the directions from taste.com.au but changed the amounts because I didn’t think it was sweet  or strong enough.



Limoncello (Gav style)

Ingredients

9 large smooth thick skinned lemons
700ml bottle of Vodka or Grappa
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
2 cups of water
juice of one lemon

Method

Pick the lemons, then grate the rind of all lemons.  Be careful not to get any pith as I am told it will make the liqueur bitter.

Once you have all the rind place in a big glass container that you can seal or otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. 

Then pour in the alcohol and seal the jar.

Let it rest while you perform the next step.

I love the way it changed colour over the course of a couple of hours.  Note the rind sitting on the bottom.  Some recipes state that you must leave it at this step for 30-40 days to infuse the flavour, however, I stumbled across a few Italian recipes that I translated, and they added the sugar syrup the same day.

So add the sugar and water and stir whilst heating on a medium heat.  Bring to the boil.

Boil without stirring for 3 minutes.  You will find the syrup will thicken a little.  Take it off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and let it cool to room temperature.  Do not add the syrup to the rind mixture whilst hot.  You will burn off the alcohol, which kind of defeats the purpose of this drink.

My syrup cooled after two hours, so I gently poured it into the rind/vodka mixture.

I gave it a gentle shake to mix, and left it at that.  Sealed the lid tightly and tipped it upside down to check for leaks.

I popped it into a dark corner in the kitchen where I will remember to mix it by shaking once a week over the course of a month.  Apparently, it is then ready to drink, however I did see recipes that recommended two months.

As for the rest of the left over lemons, I squeezed them and made a drink for Kim.  We are look forward to drinking the Limoncello on a nice spring day!  I still have a few lemons left on the tree, so Kim has convinced me to go and buy another bottle of vodka to make another batch.  Might try Grappa this time, to make it a little more authentic.  If it is as good as my Cumquat Brandy, then it should be a ripper!

Has anyone else made this liqueur before?  How did it turn out?