Ingredients: 

• 10 organic lemons (For this recipe, I want to stress that you should use organic lemons. Since it is the actual peel of the lemons that you are going to soak, and that is where all the pesticides are. You want to keep that from leaching out into your liquor.)

• 1 750ml bottle of 100 proof vodka

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 cup of water

Directions:

1. Start by washing your lemons. Then, you either want to use a vegetable peeler or a microplane to remove all 10 of the lemon peels, getting as little of the pith as possible. 

2. Once you're done place the peels into a glass jar or container and pour in a full 750 ml bottle of 100 proof vodka. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 4 days and shake occasionally. I've read a lot of different directions for this and they all state a different amount of time to soak the peels. I'd say you can soak them for up to a month. The longer they soak the bolder the flavor will be, but most of the flavor is extracted during the first few days. You can just open it and test with a spoon to see if you think it's lemony enough. I soaked mine for 5 days. 

3. I suggest making the simple syrup to sweeten the Limoncello while the peels are soaking. This way it has time to cool completely. If you're not sure how to make simple syrup, it's really easy and you can read how to do that here. I used 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. 

4. Once you're done soaking the peels, strain them out into another container using a coffee filter and a strainer. You may have to stir lightly every now and then if the liquid stops straining from too much of the peel being concentrated on the bottom of the filter. 

5. Now you're ready to bottle it! Pour the now strained liquid into whatever bottle you want to keep it in and add the simple syrup until it as as sweet as you desire. I'm not a fan of really sweet drinks so I didn't use all the syrup I made. I poured about half and then tasted it and added about another quarter of it until I thought it was sweet enough. Shake or stir and pop it in the fridge to chill. 

6. You can serve the Limoncello chilled over ice, or use it to mix cocktails with. Keep your eyes on the blog! I'll be using it to make an Italian margarita next month!