Limoncello

Today we bottled our limoncello. This is the third year we've made it and everyone seems to love it. When our dear friend Emil gave us the recipe, I read it and when I got to the part where it says, "After 40 days..." I promptly put the recipe away and said, "No way." But then we were served some limoncello in Italy and WOW! it was fabulous, so when we got home, I dug the recipe out again and we made our first batch with Emil and his wife. Eighty days later we were enjoying it and we try to always keep some on hand. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Here's Emil's recipe:

15 thick skinned lemons (not Meyers)

2 (two) 750 ml bottles Vodka

4 1/2 cups sugar

5 cups water

Wash the lemons in hot water. Remove just the yellow part of the peels with a vegetable peeler. Don't get any white part. Put the peels in a large glass jar. Add one bottle of the vodka and cover jar. Note date 40 days from then and put in a cool dark place.

Forty days later put the sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook over medium high heat until it boils. Boil it for 5 minutes while stirring. Let that cool a while then add it to the lemon peel mixture. Add the second bottle of vodka too. Stir to combine, cover and note date 40 days from then. Put back in cool dark place.

After the forty days discard the peels, strain through cheesecloth, and put into clean bottles. Store in cool place, but always keep one bottle in the freezer for serving. In Italy it is served in a tall thin liqueur glass after dinner. It's like a taste of summer; fresh lemony and frosty.