2 bottles of vodka (100 proof)
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar
12 medium lemons with bright yellow skins (organic lemons are the best)
If your going to make Limoncello, its best to make a larger amount. you will need a vegetable peeler, or microplane grater, a glass jar for infusing about 1 gallon, and a large mixing bowl, cheesecloth, a funnel and bottle for finished product.
Wash and drys lemons, and then remove the yellow zest do not remove the white just the zest, microplane grater is best for this.
Place the lemon zest in the glass jar and add one bottle of vodka, seal well and let the mixture infuse shaking it daily to mix, you will notice that the peels lose color and the liquid will turn a bright yellow and the aroma will be picked up from the lemon. This will take 2 weeks.
After two weeks, strain the mixture through a double moistened cheesecloth into a clean glass jar or a bowl and squeeze every drop of the flavored liquid from the peel, which gives you the intense flavor, slowly add the second bottle of vodka. Mix in the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup comes to a boil, then remove and let cool naturally. Once cooled add the syrup to the infused vodka mix.
Using your funnel pour the Limoncello into clean bottles, seal tight, and have it sit for 7 days, by letting it rest another 7 days, you will notice a smoother flavor of the limoncello, it will go down as such.
You can serve it chilled or from the freezer, can be stored about 1 1/2-2 years
