Kraffty
Member
This is my second attempt at this magical liquor. My first batch was made with .750ml 103 proof UV vodka and 14 meyer lemons. It was diluted with about 2 cups of 50/50 simple syrup. It tasted good but not close to what you can buy.
This second attempt created a completely different limoncello that really tastes and feels like the bottle of Caravella I bought to compare for citrus and sweetness levels.
For this go-around I used 3 750ml bottles of 95% abv Everclear. I used a potato peeler to take just the zest of 40 lemons (yellow part only as all recipes stress). After a week the lemon peels turned white and would snap in half when you bent them. The difference in the extraction between the different alcohols was amazing. I strained the extract through paper towels then diluted the extract at 1 part alcohol to 2 parts simple syrup (made from 1 part sugar to 2 parts water). Both versions ended up right at 30% abv but this one had a completely different taste. It was smoother right from the beginning. No harsh alcohol flavor and really beautiful color and even the density of color. I’ve stocked them away to mellow a few months more but they really are drinkable already.
I ended up with 7 and a half .750ml bottles. I expected to end up with 9 but didn’t account for loss from (I’m guessing here) absorption into the peels, paper towels when filtering and spilling the extract when moving and pouring it around. Still at about $50.00 for the EverClear and some small change worth of sugar - and free lemons from my yard - it works out to less than $7.00 per bottle versus $20.00 for the Caravella bottle. There are lots of recipes out there but I guarantee you’ll love this if you get a chance to try it.
Mike


This second attempt created a completely different limoncello that really tastes and feels like the bottle of Caravella I bought to compare for citrus and sweetness levels.
For this go-around I used 3 750ml bottles of 95% abv Everclear. I used a potato peeler to take just the zest of 40 lemons (yellow part only as all recipes stress). After a week the lemon peels turned white and would snap in half when you bent them. The difference in the extraction between the different alcohols was amazing. I strained the extract through paper towels then diluted the extract at 1 part alcohol to 2 parts simple syrup (made from 1 part sugar to 2 parts water). Both versions ended up right at 30% abv but this one had a completely different taste. It was smoother right from the beginning. No harsh alcohol flavor and really beautiful color and even the density of color. I’ve stocked them away to mellow a few months more but they really are drinkable already.
I ended up with 7 and a half .750ml bottles. I expected to end up with 9 but didn’t account for loss from (I’m guessing here) absorption into the peels, paper towels when filtering and spilling the extract when moving and pouring it around. Still at about $50.00 for the EverClear and some small change worth of sugar - and free lemons from my yard - it works out to less than $7.00 per bottle versus $20.00 for the Caravella bottle. There are lots of recipes out there but I guarantee you’ll love this if you get a chance to try it.
Mike

