You may have read about how thrilled I was that my sweet little Persian Lime tree, which lives indoors during the winter, outdoors during the summer, gave me a crop of limes this year! I’ve had this tree for over 20 years now, and have been happy just to enjoy the fragrant blossoms that scent my home during the winter.
So, when it gave me fruit, of course, I couldn’t take those lovely orbs of deliciousness for granted, I needed to enhance, preserve and share that wonderful verdant flavor. So, now, my freezer is stocked with frosty bottles of tasty lime~a~cello made with fruits, grown on my own trees {in the PNW, I might add}, and personally, I think that’s pretty cool!!
To create this Citron Verte Liquour I researched Lemoncello recipes on line. I found one that takes the standard Italian approach from Giada de Laurenti and then I found another recipe that takes quite a different approach, and yields a very different degistive than the usual Lemoncellos I’ve tasted in Italy and France.
One of the things that a~peel~ed {sorry} to me about this first recipe I’m sharing is that you don’t need as much zest. I liked that because my limes are very small and have very thin skins, so I found it difficult to remove the zest.
If/ when you are zesting the fruit it is important to use only the colored ZEST with a minimum of the white for maximum fresh flavor. To zest my fruits I used a paring knife and also a microplane zester.
Between the two, I personally like this recipe the best. The fresh lime flavor is more vibrant. It is not as cloying as some lemoncellos can be. Also, this requires less zesting, since the alcohol essentially extracts the volatile oils from the peels.
Lime~a~cello I
Ingredients/Supplies
1 bottle good quality Vodka (750ml.)
2-3 limes, rinsed
Twine
a large jar with a tight fitting lid
To Finish
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Zest of 2-3 limes
Directions
Pour vodka into a clean glass jar.
Wrap limes in cheesecloth and suspend over vodka {using the twine to secure them}.
Seal tightly, and let sit undisturbed in a cool, dark place for one month.
After one month, discard the limes. Make a simple syrup by putting the water in a sauce pan and heating it to a low boil. Add the sugar and stir until all of the crystals dissolve. Allow the syrup to cool and then add it to the vodka. Also add the zest of the new limes.
Let sit for 24 hours, then strain through a fine mesh sieve (or more cheesecloth).
Chill and savor.
Stay tuned, recipe #2 is coming soon!
Interesting, why do you suspend the citrus over the vodka, rather than immerse it in the vodka?
Because the alcohol essentially extracts the volatile oils from the peels. The alcohol vapors are, in a way, macerating the peel. Because it’s doing it from the outside in, you’re just getting the vibrant, whole zesty flavors, with none of the bitter pith. Also, this requires less zesting. This is actually a very old Sicilian technique for making citrus liqueurs. Thank you for asking, Kathy!!
great recipe and images — thank you!!
You’re welcome. We served some of this after dinner the other night and people loved it. Plmk if you have a chance to try the recipe. Come by for a sip soon!