Martini Mischief

This is Myrna’s personal recipe;  I hope you enjoy the limoncello as much I do!

Ingredients

• 20 Lemons, as fragrant and juicy as you can find;
• 1 Bottle of Tito’s Vodka (750ML);
• 1 Bottle of Everclear (750 ML) or similar grain alcohol as close to 100 proof as you can find;
• 3-1/2 Cups Water;
• 3-1/2 Cups Sugar;

1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the lemons, taking care to keep the peels in long strips.  If you have a zester, lemon zest works better than peels.
2. With a sharp knife, remove the white pith from the peel.  Any pith left over will cause the taste to become bitter.
3. Place the lemon peels/zest in a 2 quart glass container.  Pour the vodka over the peels/zest and cover tightly.
4. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka/Everclear mixture  for 2-3 months, at room temperature.
5. Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan, over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves.  (Simple Syrup)
6. Once this mixture has cooled, pour over the vodka/Everclear mixture.
7. Cover and let stand and additional 2-3 weeks, at room temperature.
8. Strain the limoncello; discard the lemon peels/zest.
9. Pour the limoncello into sealable bottles, and refrigerate.  You can store in the freezer, btw, because the high level of alchol won’t allow this cordial to freeze.

Limoncello