_____________Before _________________________After
The saga continues...
So far I have been marinating the peels of 20 lemons in a vodka/everclear mixture in my cabinet for 80 days, as blogged about here.
So far I have been marinating the peels of 20 lemons in a vodka/everclear mixture in my cabinet for 80 days, as blogged about here.
Tonight I started step 2: filtering the liquor, making a simple syrup and combining the two.
To filter the liquor infusion, I first strained out the lemon peel by pouring it through a metal sieve. The lemon peels were now pale and brittle, their lemon essence and oil long since gone. Next I put a paper coffee filter in a funnel and (slowly) poured the infusion through the filter/funnel into a glass pitcher, then repeated. The coffee filters quickly got clogged and had to be switched out. Altogether I went through about 10 paper filters. This went slowly, so meanwhile I made the simple syrup. And sucked the vodka soaked lemon peels.
Simple Syrup:
750 mg water (fill up one of the empty bottles, or measure out 3 cups)
3 cups sugar
Bring water to a slow boil, add sugar, stir with a spoon. Continue to boil about 5 minutes, and then let cool.
When the filtering was complete, and the simple syrup cooled, I combined the two.
The flavors need to continue to mellow and blend for another 1 week-40 days. Not sure how long I'll be able to hold out. I don't know whether to put it in the freezer/fridge at this point, or leave it at room temp, especially becuase it is starting to get hot here and room temp gets up to 82 during the day. But I think it is too early to put it in the freezer, so I'll risk leaving it out.
See you in 1 week-40 days for step 3: final filtration and bottling. Note to self, buy bottles.
3 comments:
Yum! Nick makes Limoncello on occasion for us over at imafoodblog. Hold out as long as you can to let the flavors combine and mellow before you stash it in the deep freeze (which arrests the process.)
Your patience will be rewarded! (not saying that you can't crack into it for a "taste" to check the progress though!)
Stupid Geoff, stealing my thunder!
I do indeed make it, and it is excellent. When it is all ready, don't hesitate to add some in place of a portion of lemon juice in most stuff, I especially like to splash around with it in dressings/sauces.
GL!
expect a visit in about 40 days or less
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