10 lemons worth of peels makes for something beautiful, summery, and yellow. And letting those beautiful peels flavor vodka for a couple of weeks is truly worth the wait.We saw Giada make this on the food network last year, and she charmed us right into it. It is delicious ice cold in a highball glass in your backyard. Do you have a porch swing or a hammock? Any comfortable chair will do, but go ahead and pull it under your umbrella. It's hot outside.
Limoncello10-12 lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
3 1/2 c water
2 1/2 c superfine sugar
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days (or longer) at room temperature.
After four days, stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer, discard the peels, and transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
