CITRUS LIBATIONS

CITRUS LIBATIONS

One of the many factors to take into account when choosing a life partner is your beloved’s hometown. Is it a place you want to visit for the rest of your life?

One of the many pieces of good luck I’ve run into is my family-in-law. Not only generous, intelligent people, they live in south Florida with a pool and a beach of retirees nearby. Visiting them is a vacation complete with poolside chips and salsa. In sunny Florida, citrus trees abound, and if you can escape the crippling blights that come around every few years, you have on your hands the best Christmas present your daughter-in-law could ever want.

On the years when the lemons come in late, I get a battered, fragrant box of fruit in the mail. When it’s cold outside and it seems that my garden will never grow again it’s just the thing to keep me going. Some years I devote the bulk of the lemons to preserving in salt for a zingy addition to stews, sautéed vegetables, or salad dressings. Simply slice lemons thickly, layer them in clean jars with kosher salt, and wait a few weeks. On alternating years, I sit myself down in front of a few episodes of a medical drama and zest one or two dozen lemons for limoncello, a pungent Italian beverage drunk ice-cold in small nips. Steeping the zest in a basic mid-range vodka for a few months yields an additive-free lemon extract, excellent for baking. Taking it one step further with a simple syrup results in the ultimate summer aperitif. We store a bottle in the freezer and give away lots more to eager friends and neighbors. It’s far better than anything you can buy outside of Italy.

(Original recipe gleaned from here, riffs are mine)

Yields 750 ml limoncello

10 to 12 organic lemons, scrubbed clean

1 (750-ml) bottle mid-range vodka or Everclear

Granulated sugar, as needed

Honey, to taste (optional/recommended)

Using a Microplane, vegetable peeler, or a sharp knife, remove the yellow zest from each lemon, avoiding the white pith. Pour off about half of the vodka into a second clean bottle or jar and divide the zest between the two containers. Tightly seal both vessels, shake to distribute, and store in a cool, dark place for 4 months. (Be sure to date the bottle from the time you start the limoncello. It’s easy to lose track of time.)

After 4 months, set a fine sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth or a wet paper coffee filter over a pitcher. Strain the vodka through the sieve, discarding the spent zest.

Combine 2 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan, or use 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey—it’s up to you. I find that a little honey goes a long way in making the limoncello uniquely yours. Heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to bubble like lava: it should be thick. Cool to room temperature, then stir half the syrup into the steeped vodka. Taste as you go: you may not want to add all of the syrup.

Decant the limoncello into clean bottles. Give it two weeks to sit before storing in the freezer and enjoying straight, in a glass of fizzy water, or in a cocktail.

-Kristen

Image by N. Keller via here.