Homemade Liqueurs

Biggest Meyer Lemons I've ever seen!

A friend gave me some Meyer lemons on New Years Eve and after debating what to do with them I decided to make some Limonchello.



I scoured the internet looking at different recipes and what was important NOT to do (getting pith when you zest) and started zesting some lemons...

As soon as you add the alcohol it starts taking on the lovely yellow color

I decided to go with the more traditional use of grain alcohol - 95% alcohol to be exact. A lot of the recipes said to let the zest soak infuse for at least a month but when I looked at mine today I noticed all of the zest had lost its color and was floating so I am decanting early. I also infused with the lemons juice which a lot of recipes didn't call for.

After a week of infusing and being filtered twice - it's looking gorgeous!

Look how pretty it is!

The Limonchello was so easy that I also started some cherry infused rum...
The clear rum is already a lovely red color. I will be mixing this with a brown sugar simple syrup and some vanilla. Soft fruit will not need to infuse for more than a week or two. When the cherries lose their color they can be removed and thrown away since all of the wonderful fruit flavor is now in the alcohol. I also chose the highest alcohol content I could find for a rum. Your states will vary - infuse longer for lower proof alcohols.