Wedding DIY: Limoncello Party Favors
Limoncello, or Lemoncello, is an Italian lemon liqueur typically served icy cold as an after dinner apéritif. This drink is a surprisingly VERY easy and budget friendly drink to make which makes it perfect as a wedding favor.
Ingredients and Supplies Needed:
10 lemons (or any other citrus fruit such as oranges, blood oranges, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.)
750 bottle vodka
3 cup water
2 cup sugar
a large glass jar or pitcher
a veggie peeler
a strainer
a funnel
clamp bottles for gift-giving (can be found at Michaels or Cost Plus, etc)
Directions:
Scrub the lemons to remove any residue of pesticides or wax.
Pour the vodka into your large jar or pitcher.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips. Use only the yellow outer part of the rind. The pith, or white part underneath the rind, is too bitter. Put lemon fruit aside for a different recipe.
Place the lemon peels in the large jar or pitcher and put a lid on the jar, or cover with plastic wrap.
Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 14-20 days at room temperature.
After your lemon/vodka mixture is finished steeping, in a large saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 -7 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the syrup cool completely.
Once cool, strain the limoncello mixture and pour into the sugar syrup to blend.
Transfer the limoncello to decorative clamp style bottles using a small funnel.
Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month. The liqueur can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, but be sure to transfer the limoncello in the fridge and chill when ready to use.
