So last weekend I finally got around to making Limoncello. I had a recipe from the LA Times for, like, EVER and I was always on the lookout for great organic lemons. I finally settled on some Myers from the Ferry Building. I scrambled to get from the Wine Bar to the little produce store before it closed because I needed 12 pounds of lemons. Well, if 12 pounds of lemons sounds like a lot, it is. In fact Chris claims that he said 12 lemons, not 12 pounds, but whatever. It means that I decided to make twice the amount of Limoncello. You try zesting 27 squishy, thin skinned lemons.
The recipe calls for 100 proof flavorless alcohol, like Vodka, which I found was not as easy to find as I thought it would be. Actually, we found it at BevMo but I was hoping to actually make Limoncello with a very good alcohol base. The options were Absolute, Smirnoff and Stoli, none of which I was too thrilled about. So since I had to make two batches from my 27 lemons (grumble grumble) I decided to go with the best and worst of the three to see if there really is any difference with better Vodka. It steeps for two weeks so I will check back in with an update when it's time to add the sugar.
UPDATED IS HERE!!!
Ummm - Limoncella. I still remember the all the freshly made delicious Limoncellas I tasted on The Amalfi coast of Italy about 15 years ago. It's like a bottle of pure sunshine!
Looks like you have rather a lot of alcohol there, young lady. If you don't want a head like Fred has this morning, I suggest you don't drink it all at once!
enjoy...
Posted by: Sam | February 06, 2005 at 09:29 AM
So what's the difference between the 'o' and the 'a'? All the stuff I read in Italian had it as Limoncello...help.
Posted by: Molly | February 06, 2005 at 09:41 AM
oh, i dunno, I am perfectly at ease drinking in a foreign language, but I am totally inept when it comes to spelling in one :)
Posted by: Sam | February 06, 2005 at 10:59 AM
The difference is the gender, a's and o's dictate masculine or feminie, a=f, o=m. I have always refered to it as limoncello, the five different varital bottles in my freezer are spelled that way as well.
Posted by: Bruce | March 11, 2005 at 05:26 AM