December 11, 2015 Advent with SusieJ

Limoncello

Simon Tarr, Quarknova

• 750ml bottle of Everclear
• 12 small lemons (or 8 large)
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups sugar

Buy some Everclear. If you live in a regressive state, you might need to say that you're using it as a solvent or they won't let you buy it. This is technically true, because you're using it to extract the oils from lemon zest. Don't use vodka unless you absolutely cannot get a hold of any Everclear or moonshine, it won't be as good and you'll have to adjust everything else to get the proof right.

Zest all the lemons, making sure the zest is in small ribbons (the oils take longer to extract if the pieces are too big). Do something else with all the fruit. Put all the zest in a container, and pour the Everclear over it. Cover it and leave it for at least 2 weeks, ideally a month. Shake it occasionally.

When it's ready, all the zest will be white and brittle. Strain the lemon Everclear so there's no floaters.

Cook a big batch of simple syrup with the sugar and water. Let it cool. Mix a 1:1 ratio of syrup to Everclear. Stir it thoroughly, then divide it into fancy bottles. Freeze the bottles before drinking.