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OT: Lemoncello

Village Idiot
Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
edited November 2012 in Off Topic
If you are like us, you have to trade some meaningless gift with your friends at Christmas time.  Usually, it's something homemade.  After going to Italy last month, I got the idea to make lemoncello.  Lemoncello is a popular alcoholic, sweet drink usually sipped after dinner.  I've never been into sweet drinks, but, in Italy, we learned to mix it with tonic water or club soda and it makes a really refreshing drink.

Why am I telling you this?  Lemoncello is easy to make, but it takes a month of sitting in a bottle, leeching out the lemon flavoring.  So, if you are looking for ideas to make your friends and/or family for Christmas, here is an idea.  Note that there is a little more than a month before Christmas.  Hence, the thread now.

The recipe I used is at this URL

One month ago.
image

image

Today, after bottling.

image


__________________________________________

Dripping Springs, Texas.
Just west of Austintatious


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Comments

  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    My old boss used to do this. Comes out great. That's a great idea for A Christmas Present. I have the same idea, but it's coming

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    Out in a different alcohol form. Sorry for the double post but my fat fingers can't type in iPhone.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • Very nice VI! My family makes it in the spring time, right at the start of Lent actually, and it sits for the 40 days...ready for Easter.
  • VI, your link is broken.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • VI, your link is broken.
    No, I think it's a server overload.  Try it again later.  I got an error message the first few times (because I was checking the link), then it came up.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • VI, this looks great.  I fell in love with lemoncello on our 1st trip to Italy.  Like Travis, I tried to get thru your link but failed...will try again.  Your labels are very nice.  I may be a copy cat.

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    been wanting to make that for along time, i like limoncello. no grain alcohol up here in newengland
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • been wanting to make that for along time, i like limoncello. no grain alcohol up here in newengland
    We're lucky in Texas. We can buy 190 proof Everclear.  I think I remember that the recipe on the link says you can use vodka, but you need to tweak the water dilution.

    Hopefully, the link will come up again.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • It just worked for me. God bless Texas. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    edited November 2012

    VI, this looks great.  I fell in love with lemoncello on our 1st trip to Italy.  Like Travis, I tried to get thru your link but failed...will try again.  Your labels are very nice.  I may be a copy cat.

    BB,

    Thanks. The labels are Avery # 22820.  The lemon pictures are shamelessly stolen from some other internet site.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • bookmarked. Gracias again. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    edited November 2012
    This post has caused me to pour a lemonade and Tito's at 3pm. My bottle is signed by Tito so you can be jealous if you want. image
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Very cool idea- thanks for sharing.  I have some everclear that has been in my cabinet for 5 years (that and some watermelon cr@p are the only alcohol in my cabinet more than a few weeks old).   


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • This post has caused me to pour a lemonade and Tito's at 3pm. My bottle is signed by Tito so you can be jealous if you want. 


    VODKA?  We're talking Everclear here, Son.  Vodka is what we feed our infants to wash down their pabulum.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • DonWW
    DonWW Posts: 424
    We have done this before.  Turned out great.  So great that the next time we did the same recipe with oranges:  Orangecello.  Also fantastic. 

    And, yes, travisstrick, just a wee bit jealous.  Aside from Imperial Russian Standard for sipping, Titos is the only vodka in da house.
    XL and Medium.  Dallas, Texas.
  • Scott805
    Scott805 Posts: 349

    Anybody with the name Tito Beverage has to be in the liquor business.  Met him at the Austin City Limits Music Festival giving out Tito Margaritas!

    Large BGE, 2 Tier Adjustable Swing Rack System, three (3) bricks from Home Depot for raised direct, Blackstone 22" Griddle - Finally have a decent cooking area!

    Dallas, TX

  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200

    Very cool @Village_Idiot. Love the idea.

    @travistrick - can I have 2 fingers of that Makers 40?

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    methinks it's makers mark 46 - good stuff.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275
    edited November 2012
    Griffin  I remember when I was a teenager and my grandpa wanted me to pour him 2 fingers of whiskey. It was the index finger and the pinky. :))
    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • @VI I have been doing this for about a year. I make a bit different type, I use 2 bottles of Everclear, and 2 bottles of Vodka. Zest about 40 -50 lemons and 6-10 limes. Great stuff for sipping or I mix some in a margarita, ( which is going to happen as soon as I finish typing). Mind sharing how much club soda you mix in with it. 
    Enjoy.
    Large, small, and a mini
  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    edited November 2012
    Mind sharing how much club soda you mix in with it. 

    SS,  I can't tell you.  My wife had it last night and I was snarfing down rum.  But, knowing her, she probably put 3 drops of lemoncello in, and 2 quarts of tonic.  As for me, 2/3 lemoncello and 1/3 tonic would be a good start.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • While the wife likes her sweet Lemoncello, I'll take a swift shot of Grappa everytime.

    Nice gift idea.

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

  • RAC
    RAC Posts: 1,688
    Will be trying this. Thanks for posting.

    Ricky

    Boerne, TX

  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
    edited November 2012
    Excellent, Luigi.  I learned about this from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, ah er, not that I ever watched that movie, ah, my wife told me about it. 
    :-S

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,428
    edited November 2012
    I finally got the link to connect; I'm copying/pasting the recipe here:
     

    Overview

    So, how do you make this wonderful stuff? The ingredients are as follows:

    1 750 mL bottle of grain alcohol ( Everclear or similar, also known as rectified spirit--as long as it's potable, strong, and unflavored you'll be fine)
    Zest of 8 lemons
    Sugar
    Water

    Simple, yes? Oh, you'll also need a glass jar in which to keep the stuff. Be sure you have lots of spare room, as you'll add more liquid later. Mine is two liters, and works great.

    You want to get the strongest alcohol you can get your hands on. Vodka, even the 100 proof stuff, isn't sufficient. In some states, such as Nevada, you can get 190-proof Everclear, which is 95% ethyl alcohol. Alas, California isn't one of them, so I'll make do with 151 proof (75.5% alcohol, which is still pretty stiff). You can as well, but go with the high-test if you get it. You'll dilute it down to something drinkable later; right now we need a strong but potable nonpolar solvent, and high-proof alcohol fits the bill. I understand an old catalog came with a disclaimer that Everclear was to be used "for the production of homemade cordials," or some such, which is exactly what you're doing here.
     
    Botch here:  still not a very precise recipe, but you get the idea.  

    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • We make it with homemade Grappa which is Italian moonshine made from grape mash.

    Simple ingredients, amazing results!
  • @VI " My wife had it last night and I was snarfing down rum" =))
    Large, small, and a mini
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    You can also make orangecello, which is also very nice. Very refreshing.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • I am guessing the stronger the alcohol, the more powerful the solvent, and less time needed to "infuse". Right?
  • I am guessing the stronger the alcohol, the more powerful the solvent, and less time needed to "infuse". Right?
    Not sure about that.  Makes sense though.  It will affect how much water you need to dilute it.  We are lucky in Texas because we can buy 190 proof everclear.  So, the dilution is about 1:1 to bring it down to about 80 proof.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious