Limoncello

Ingredients

• 4 lemon, unwaxed and well scrubbed
• 2½ dl vodka
• 150 g white sugar
• 1½ dl water

Method

1. 1.

   Pare the lemon zest — Scrub the lemons under hot water and dry them well. Pare the zest off in wide strips with a swivel peeler, taking only the yellow — any white pith you carry over will turn the finished liqueur bitter.

2. 2.

   Cover the zest with vodka — Put the strips of zest into a clean glass jar, pour over the vodka so the zest is fully submerged, and seal tightly. Give the jar a good shake.

3. 3.

   Infuse for a week — Leave the jar in a cool dark cupboard for 7 days, shaking it once a day. The infusion is ready when the vodka is a brilliant opaque yellow and the strips of zest have gone pale and brittle.

4. 4.

   Make the sugar syrup — Heat the sugar and water in a small pan over low heat, stirring until the syrup is completely clear, then simmer for 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature — pouring warm syrup into the infusion dulls the aroma.

5. 5.

   Strain and combine — Strain the infused vodka through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter, pressing nothing through, and discard the zest. Stir in the cold syrup — the liquid will turn cloudy and opalescent at once, which is exactly right.

6. 6.

   Bottle and rest — Bottle the limoncello, seal, and let it rest for 3 days so the spirit and the syrup marry. Store it in the freezer and serve ice cold in small chilled glasses after dinner.