How To Make The Lemoncello Liqueur - Building A Drink: Your Ultimate Guide to Mixed Drink and Cocktail Recipes

Wash the lemons to get rid of the wax layer.  Remove the lemon zest, this is just the outger yellow coating of the lemon.  Avoid as much of the whiter inner layer of the peel as possible.  Transfer the lemon zest to a clean ½ gallon jar and top it with the bottle of vodka.  Store this in a cool dark place for 14 days, shaking the jar every couple days.  Strain the lemoncello into a clean 1/2 gallon jar, being sure to filter out all of the lemon zest.  

For the syrup combine the sugar and water in a pot and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Do not boil.  Let the syrup cool to room temperature.

Add the syrup to the lemoncello and shake the jar to make sure everything is mixed thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 5 days to let the flavors blend and fully develop.  At this point you can transfer your lemoncello to a liquor bottle or you can store your lemoncello in this jar.  Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made from lemon zest. It's mainly produced in Southern Italy, particularly in Sorrento, Capri, and along the Amalfi Coast. Traditionally, limoncello is made with Femminello St. Teresa lemons, a vibrant lemon variety native to the Sorrento Peninsula of Italy. The liqueur is served chilled in small ceramic glasses as an apéritif or digestif (a drink served before or after a meal) to aid in digestion.  It can also be used in cocktails. Limoncello is made by steeping lemon zest (peels) in highly concentrated ethanol or vodka until oil is released, then mixing the resulting yellow liquid with simple syrup. Its alcohol content varies — especially among homemade varieties — but is usually measured somewhere in the 25-30% range.