Limoncello

Limoncello has always been one of our favourite after dinner tipples as it has great stomach settling effects when consumed in small quantities. We have worked on this recipe for 5 years now and produce a beautifully clear but not too sweet glass of heaven.

Ingredients for a 2 and a bit litre batch

7 large lemons or equivalent
1ltr alcohol 90-95%
After 3 weeks
700g sugar
1ltr water

Instructions

Wash the lemons, then cut off the top and tail to get rid of a fair bit of the bitter white pith. Slop the alcohol into the demi-john and then slice the lemons into bits that will fit through the neck, remembering that you will have to extract them eventually. Close the demi-john and put it somewhere you won't forget about it but not in direct sunlight with a label saying what it is and when the next phase is due to take place. Shake the demi-john every couple of days. After 21 days, sieve the liquid into a bowl and extract the lemons with a long pointy thing if they won't just drop out of the neck. Resist the temptation to squeeze them as it will make the limoncello very bitter, just let them sit in the sieve over the bowl for a while, turning them over by hand every now and then. Boil a litre of water and dissolve the sugar, remove from heat and allow to cool then mix with the alcohol/lemon mix and put back into the demi-john through muslin to catch the big lumps, having rinsed it first of course. Let it rest for at least 15 days but longer is better. Strain through a paper coffee filter into bottles and enjoy.