Limoncello

I thought limoncello would use lots of my lemons, but at this time of year my lemons are so large that I only used five to make my batch of limoncello. This recipe only uses the lemon peel or zest, so there's lots of juice left to make lemonade.

Ingredients:

2- 750 ml bottle Vodka
1 cup of lemon peel, from 5 very large or 12 small lemons
4 cups sugar
5 cups water

Directions:

Wash the lemons, using a vegetable scrubber to make sure the skin is very clean. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest from the lemons. Use only the yellow part of the zest. The white part, also called the pith, is bitter. Pour the vodka and the cup of lemon peel into a large glass container. Set aside in a cool place for 1 month. The vodka will turn a nice yellow color during this time. Make a simple syrup by stirring the sugar and water together in a saucepan and bringing to a simmer. Let simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool, then add the syrup to the vodka and lemon peel mixture, along with the second bottle of vodka. Let sit another month. Strain the lemon peel from the vodka mixture. You've now got limoncello! Keep the limoncello in the refrigerator or freezer and drink very cold.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I like to use a vodka that I already like to drink. My personal favorites are Reyka and Stolichnaya. However, use any kind that you like!