When my brother was a senior in high school he packed his bags and boarded a plane to Rome with my mom. When they returned they brought back stories of the friendly locals, photos of the landmarks, and a bottle of limoncello. At this point in time, I was still too young to drink so I was only offered a quick sip. It didn’t make a huge impression on me back then, but over the years I still hear people rave about this lemon infused drink.

Instead of buying a bottle at the store, I thought it would be interesting to make a small batch at home. The recipe is rather simple, you just have to have patience. The lemon peels need to sit in the vodka for 10 days, but the wait is worth it in the end.

Limoncello is both tart and sweet. No wonder this is a popular drink! It’s smooth enough to enjoy on its own, but would be delicious with a splash of club soda and lemon wedge.

If you want to package up a jar to give a friend, download these free Limoncello labels!

Limoncello

Ingredients:

• 3 Meyer lemons
• 200 ml vodka
• 1 C. Sugar
• 3/4 C. Water

Recipe:

• Scrub the lemons clean and peel off the yellow skins from the white (bitter) pith
• Sanitize a mason jar by placing it in boiling water for 10 minutes
• Let the mason jar cool to room temperature
• Fill the mason jar with the lemon peel and vodka
• Seal and set in a cool place for 10 days, gently shaking each day
• For the syrup, combine the sugar in water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
• Once the sugar has been dissolved take off the burner and let cool to room temperature
• Strain out the lemon peel from the vodka and mix with the simple syrup
• Seal in mason jars and store in the refrigerator
• *This makes enough limoncello for two 8oz mason jars. Feel free to double the recipe to make a larger batch.

What beverages have you discovered while traveling? I would love to hear about them in the comments!