I don't remember the first time I had limoncello or who I was with. What I do remember is sipping the ice cold drink after a meal heavy on the garlic and realizing, for the first time in my young adult life, that a finely crafted liqueur can be better than dessert.
Anne gave me a couple bottles of homemade limoncello two years ago. I've been a miser with the stuff - pouring little glasses to sip in the sunshine, adding a drizzle to lemon pound cake, topping a vodka cranberry with just a bit to give it a special tang and sweetness. This weekend, I've made the leap from limoncello drinker to limoncello maker.
I peeled lemons, making sure the bits of peel contained merely yellow and no pith. I watched as Anne measured out the petals of lemon peel and then topped them with 1.75 Liters of vodka. And then, for a moment, they glowed.
Until I put the jars in my pantry to wait, the lemon zest working its magic.
In a couple months, I'll pull it out and boil it with sugar and water. Then, it'll sit a little longer. By winter, I'll be able to pull it out of the freezer and pour myself a glass of sweet, tangy summer.
I can't wait.
In the meantime, I have four quarts of lemon juice to play with. What will it become? Lemon ginger jam is surely on the list as is lemonade on a hot summer's day and lemon bars so creamy and delicious. The possibilities are making me giddy.
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