By Nora
This week I received an offer I couldn't refuse. Elizabeth, one of the fabulous editors over at Style Lush, offered to send anyone who was interested a box of lemons direct from the prolific lemon tree(s) in her yard. All I had to do was pay shipping, and a big box of fresh, home-grown lemons would show up at my door. There wasn't even a question in my mind. However, I realized that my use of lemons is usually limited to a garnish for an adult beverage or to add a kick to fish or chicken dishes. So what would I do with a butt-load of lemons, then?
And then it came to me. I would make homemade limoncello and store it in my basement to age until Christmas, when I would then give away bottles as gifts. Inspired! Genius! And also somewhat CRAZY since I have never made my own alcohol before and really had no idea how to go about it. Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur that's made with lemon zest and grain alcohol(!) and it is a beautiful yellow color with the deep flavor of lemon, but without the sourness. I found a recipe that actually seems pretty reasonable, albeit somewhat time-intensive, but that's okay since Christmas is 11 months away. Here's the recipe I think i'm going to follow, from the aptly named site, Limoncello quest. (Also, PLEASE check out the first line in Step 1 for a good laugh.)
You know what else is awesome? The different ways you can bottle the limoncello once it's done. Go on over to Pinterest and search on "Limoncello" and see what comes up. It's a lemon-themed feast for the eyes! I think i'll package mine using the IKEA bottles featured on Leslie's post a few days ago! And I even have plenty of time to get personalized labels made up! I just love when a plan comes together...
{Photo from bostonist.com}
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