LIMONCELLO

And now, especially for Laugh More Love More, who has requested it, here is a recipe for Limoncello:

There are as many ways of making this liqueur as there are people making it, and these include most Sicilian women and a good proportion of the populations of Capri and Sorrento. The method is broadly the same but the quantities of sugar to liquid vary from region to region and person to person.

In Italy you can buy 95% proof pure alcohol and that is what Italians use. You can't buy that in the UK - I don't know about the USA - so I used to use vodka. This makes the drink stronger so you need to be careful when serving.

In the ingredients lists below I have not converted the metric measures as maths isn't my strong point and I gather an American pint is different from a British one. I can't do American cup measures either!

These are the quantities I use:
6 - 9 lemons, depending on size, unwaxed if possible
375 gr sugar
500 ml still mineral water
75 cl bottle pure alcohol or vodka

These are the quantities my friend Chiara uses:
lemons as above
750 gr sugar
1 litre still mineral water
half litre pure alcohol or vodka

Method:
Carefully wash and dry the lemons.
Peel them, making sure no white pith clings to the peel.
Put the peel in a wide jar, pour in the alcohol, cover and leave for 2 - 3 weeks.
At the end of that period, dissolve the sugar in the water to make a syrup.
When the syrup is cool, add it to the lemon mixture.
Strain* the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin and pour into sterilised bottle[s].
Leave for at least 2 weeks, 4 if you can, before serving.
The bottle[s] should be put in the freezer before serving.

* Chiara says she doesn't always bother to strain hers and it is delicious!

In Italy Limoncello is drunk to round off a meal. I like to serve it from these cute little glasses designed especially for the purpose that I bought here. Cincin!

Do other readers have their own Limoncello recipes? Lettori italiani, se avete altre ricette per il Limoncello, mi piacerebbe pubblicarle qui!

Should you feel inspired to make a refreshing lemon-based Sicilian dessert as well, see my post "GEL" of 19.6.06.