Making Limoncello: The Infusion
In this post I’ll share how I make my limoncello infusion. I don’t think it’s unique but I wanted to be able show then entire process from end to end.
The Lemons
The process starts with—you guessed it—lemons! I buy my lemons in a 5-pound bag from Costco. Sometimes they’re organic, sometimes they’re seedless. Who knows? It’s a convenient place for me to buy lemons for cheap. I put the lemons in an extra-large mixing bowl. I use a Longaberger Woven Traditions mixing bowl, which you can’t buy (new) any more, but I’m sure any large heat-resistant vessel will do. Then I boil some water using an electric kettle and pour the boiling water over the lemons. I suppose this helps to get rid of any dirt and wax, but mostly it makes me feel better. I let those stand in the hot water for a few minutes, then pull them out and wipe them clean with a kitchen towel one by one.
Zesting (or Peeling?)
Next I zest the whole lot using a blade-style zester. Some folks use a potato peeler to peel the lemons. I’ve done this and it works well enough, but I find I get better extraction of the essential oils with the zester. A lot of articles also say that you should avoid collecting any of the white pith. As long as you’re not scraping all the way down to the interior of the fruit I say don’t fret too much about this.
Infusing
I like to record the amount of zest that goes into each batch, so I start by placing a gallon-size glass jar onto a kitchen scale. Using a rubber spatula, I scrape as much of the zest and essential oils into the jar as I can. I get good results with anywhere from 150 to 200 grams of zest. Once the zest is in and I've recording the amount of zest in my log, I add 1.75 liters of 75.5% (151 proof) Everclear brand grain neutral spirits. I seal the jar, give it a little shake, and set it someplace cool and dark for about a month.
151 or 190 Proof?
I’ve read several articles suggesting the use of the 190 proof stuff instead, but I have not tried this as yet. The changes are easy to calculate, though. In another post I'll show how to adjust for differences in alcohol, as well as for different kinds of sweeteners and how to adjust the alcohol level in the finished product.