10 organic lemons

750 mL good-quality vodka (the better it tastes by itself, the better the limoncello will be)

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

Using a peeler, peel the yellow rind from 10 lemons. Make sure you don’t get any of the white pitch beneath the rind, as this will make the limoncello bitter. Place the lemon rind into a large glass container (I used a 2-quart Mason jar), and fill the container with the vodka. Place a lid on the container, and keep the mixture in a room temperature area out of the sun. Every day give the container a stir (or a shake in my case with the Mason jar). Let set for 4 weeks.

After the vodka mixture has sat for 4 weeks, strain out the lemon peels using a coffee filter or some cheesecloth. Set the vodka aside, and discard the peels.

In a small saucepan, combine the water and the sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.

When the simple syrup is cooled, combine it with the infused vodka. Pour into bottles or some other decorative decanter if you’re gifting the limoncello. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Visit Canning and Cooking Iowa Style’s profile on Pinterest.