Lemoncello

First find a very large glass jar (or two – needs to be large enough to hold the Everclear and the lemon peels) with a sealed lid. Make sure that it’s sterilized. I know that’s a no brainer, but I feel I should mention it regardless.

Wash and dry the lemons. I listed organic lemons because they need to be unwaxed. Smell them, they should smell good. Remove the peel from the lemons with a sharp peeler or fine grater/zester. Avoid the white pith. If peeling the lemons, please note that if any white pith remains on the back of the peel, scrape it off. If the pith gets into the batch, the lemoncello will be bitter. Put the lemon peels in the glass jar and add the Everclear. (You could substitute the Everclear for cheap 80 proof vodka, but the Everclear is best because it has no sugar in it.) Make sure that there is at least a two-inch space below the top rim of the jar. Seal tightly.

Note: you are just using the lemon peels for this recipe. Make lemonade or something else with all of those remaining lemons!

Leave the lemon peels to steep in the jar in a cool, dark place until the peels lose their color, about 2-3 months. This will make the lemoncello extra yummy. Every few weeks you can swirl the liquid in the jar but it isn’t necessary.

After the 2-3 months have passed, make a simple syrup. Put the water and the sugar in a saucepan. A 1:1 ratio of sugar to water makes a classic simple syrup, but use more sugar if you want a thicker or sweeter liqueur. Stir the sugar and slowly heat until the water turns clear and all the sugar has dissolved completely. Let the syrup cool and place the cooled syrup in the jar with the Everclear and lemon peels. Depending on the size of your jar, you may have to divide the batch into two jars at this point. Put the jars back in a cool dark place for about a month.

After a month, strain out the lemon peels through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and pour the lemoncello into another container. Press down to remove all the liqueur and oils from the peels before tossing them in the trash. Stir the liquid with a clean plastic or wooden spoon. Put the liqueur in clean bottles, seal tightly and leave the finished bottles for at least a week before using.

Store in the freezer.