Limoncello is a strong drink you take after dinner to refresh your mouth and help digestion. It seems that using 95 proof alcohol is the way of home-made limoncello in Italy, however, it is hard to find such a strong drink in stores in New Zealand, so I started trying with 40% vodka instead and less syrup. I followed this recipe and it came out very well. You should add syrup by a cup or even 1/2 cup to get the right sweetness and strength you like instead of pouring a lot once…Yes, once I made it too sweet, and not strong enough. Also I recommend of keeping limoncello in a freezer.
Linked to the original recipe – https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-limoncello-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-197694
10 organic lemons, washed and dried
750-ml bottle vodka (100-proof preferred, or 80-proof) *100 proof means 50% and 80 proof is 40%.
1 to 4 cups of sugar, to taste
1. Peel the lemons: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peels from all the lemons. Try to remove only the outer yellow skin and as little of the pith as possible. Trim away any large pieces of pith with a paring knife, but don’t worry about trimming every last scrap.
2. Cover the peels with vodka: Transfer the lemon peels to a 1-quart jar and cover with vodka. Screw on the lid.
3. Infuse the vodka: Let the vodka and lemon peels infuse somewhere out of the way and out of direct sunlight for at least 4 days or as long as a month. The longer you let the vodka infuse, the more lemony your limoncello.
4. Strain the vodka: Line a strainer with a large coffee filter and set it over a 4-cup measuring cup. Strain the infused vodka through the filter. You may need to stir the vodka in the strainer if the flow stops.
5. Prepare sugar syrup: Prepare a sugar syrup of at least 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar — bring the water to a simmer and stir in the sugar to dissolve; allow to cool.
→ You can play with the ratios of water to sugar. I start with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar, taste the limoncello, and add additional sugar syrup gradually until you reach a flavor you like. More water will dilute the alcohol base, making a less alcoholic, milder, and smoother-sipping liqueur. Also more sugar will make a sweeter limoncello.