Bottled Sunshine! I made Limoncello.

About two weeks ago, life handed me lemons...so I made limoncello!! I got a bottle of Dripping Springs Vodka, lemons, and PRESTO! – I now have my own homemade bottles of limoncello.

It's really easy to make. You just need lemons and some time and patience. I've got two out of three. :)

Today was the day for the final step: Strain vodka; add sugar syrup (2 cups water and 2 cups sugar); bottle.

The lemony aroma hit me in the face when I popped the top off the jar the lemon peels and vodka had been sitting in for the last two weeks. I strained the liquid and added my second bottle of Dripping Springs Vodka.

Next it was time for the syrup. I gently heated 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar until it was dissolved and clear. Let it cool a few minutes. It was still warm when I added the syrup to the lemon vodka. One thing I realized...it's really hard to take pictures by yourself while you're cooking/pouring.

Time now for the bottles! I put the NOW limoncello back into the vodka's original bottles. There's about 2-3 cups left over...hmmm...what to do with that?! :)

They say if you let it set now to mellow for another week or two or four, it gets better with age. Well...I've already tasted it. niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!! Sweet, lemony, kick!

I've got a bottle in the freezer now just waiting to chill. I figure my patience will run out in about 4-5 hours. :D

To see how this all started, visit my first post Bottling Sunshine,

Bottling Sunshine – Limoncello

I've been wanting to make limoncello for a while now and just never had the gumption to do it until a wonderful friend of mine gave me some HUGE lemons from her lemon tree. MOTIVATION!

So today, I made limoncello, dawling!

Limoncello Recipe
2 bottles Vodka (750 ml each)
8-10 fragrant lemons
2 cups sugar
2 cups water

First, gently clean your lemons. Then with a peeler or zester, peel the lemons but avoid the the white pith (that makes it bitter).

Now add the lemon peels to a large clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid.

Time to pour one bottle of Vodka over the lemon peels. I got some Texas-grown Vodka – Dripping Springs Vodka – handcrafted in a proprietary copper still, blended with pure, mineral rich artesian spring water.

Once you've poured the one bottle of Vodka into the jar, seal it tight and give it a swirl.

Store in a cool, dark cabinet for 10-15 days until the lemon peels turn white but the liquid is yellow. Shake daily.

Once all the color has left the lemons, strain the lemony goodness through a double layer of moistened cheesecloth and into a bowl. Squeeze the last drops of intensely flavored liquid from the peel. Add the second bottle of vodka. 

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add the syrup to the lemon vodka. For a cloudy limoncello, add the syrup while still slightly warm.
Using a funnel, pour limoncello into sterilized bottles, seal tightly and let rest at least one week. The longer it sets; the better it gets!

Mine is setting in the cabinet until I shake it tomorrow. It's like a jar of sunshine in there. :)


Now...what to do with all these NEKKID lemons?!?!?!?!?

Stay tuned to see how this experiment turns out!