Lorraine's Luscious and Lovely Limoncello

My friend Lorraine B gave me this wonderful recipe when I was looking for an interesting hostess gift. One of the best things about this recipe is that it only takes one week to infuse, as opposed to up to a month that I've seen in other recipes. I actually made a quadruple recipe and got 6 bottles to give as gifts (I kept one for myself, of course!). At last night's preliminary tasting (2 hours after bottling) I can tell you that this is a very refreshing tipple! I'm also going to try this with oranges this winter.

• Ready In: 168 hrs 2 mins
• Serves: 34

Ingredients

• 750  ml vodka
• 6  lemons
• 1 3⁄4 cups sugar
• 750  ml water

Directions

1. Wash the lemons, using soap, rinse well.
2. Peel the lemons. I used my Microplane Zester and got lovely lemon zest, but you can also use a potato peeler. Make sure not to get any of the bitter white pith.
3. Place the peel into a bowl and cover with the vodka. I used a large Tupperware bowl with a cover.
4. Let the lemons infuse in the vodka for one week.
5. Line a strainer with paper towels and strain the lemony vodka into a bowl that will hold more than twice its volume.
6. Mix the sugar with the water in a pot and let it come to a boil.
7. Boil for 2 minutes, giving it an occasional stir.
8. Let cool.
9. Add the sugar syrup to the lemon vodka and mix.
10. Place in your favorite bottle.
11. Keep the Limoncello in the freezer (it won't freeze).