Limoncello Arancello Food

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Grate the zest from the lemons using a Microplane grater, taking care to leave the pith behind. Place the zest in a 3-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over it and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a spot where it won't be disturbed, at room temperature, and let steep 1 week.
• Combine 3 1/2 cups water and the sugar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Let cool completely, then pour the syrup into the pitcher with the zest and stir. Cover tightly again and let stand for 24 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Pour into clean bottles with tight-fitting caps. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 1 month.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
• Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

ARANCELLO AND LIMONCELLO (ORANGE AND LEMON LIQUEUR)

Steps:

• Scrub the fruit with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt and other undesirable elements (i.e. pesticides if you chose not to use organic).
• Carefully peel the fruit, making sure not to include any of the white pith. (It will make your cello bitter.) Juice the fruit and save for another use.
• Put the peels in the bottom of the container(s). Pour in the alcohol and cover. Allow to rest for seven days in a cool, dark location. I keep mine in the cupboard.
• Make this in the morning of the eighth day or the night before. In the 6 quart pot, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a fast simmer, not boil, and let it sit for 15 minutes, until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• On the eighth day, strain the orange peels from the alcohol and discard. Pour the alcohol into the pot with the sugar syrup and stir. (If you use Everclear, the mixture will turn cloudy, but this will not negatively affect the flavor.) Pour into the prepared wine bottles, cork, and store in the refrigerator or freezer. You should allow it to rest for about a month for fullest flavor.

LIMONCELLO / ARANCELLO

Steps:

• 1. STEP 1 - DAY 1 Pour the bottle of Everclear and the bottle of vodka into the gallon jar. Either use organic lemons or make sure that lemons are cleaned to remove all pesticides, dirt, and fertilizer chemicals. After washing the lemons, dry them off with a clean towel. Then you just use the zester to remove a thin layer of zest from the whole lemon. If you get even a little bit of the white pith just below the zest, it will make your Limoncello bitter. So don't take chances, if the lemon is bumpy and you can't get all the zest without hitting the pith elsewhere, let it go. This step is all about quality over quantity.
• 2. Put the lemon zest in the gallon jar and stir gently. Cover jar with 2 layers of plastic wrap then screw on lid tightly. Store in a cool (not cold) dark place for alcohol to extract oils from peels, creating an infusion.
• 3. DAYS 8, 22, 36 & 45 or LATER Gently stir lemon zest to refresh exposure to alcohol. Return to cool, dark place.
• 4. STEP 2 - DAY 1 Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Set syrup aside to cool. It must be room temp before adding to infusion. Pour lemon liquid through a fine strainer to get out as much zest as possible. Discard zest. Using the canning funnel, the ladle, and coffee filters, slowly strain infusion through filters into large pitcher. This is a messy process. The filters will clog quickly and you will use many of them. Rinse and dry gallon jar. Repeat straining process, transferring infusion from pitcher to original gallon jar by straining again through more coffee filters. If you have a pitcher with a filter, such as a Brita, pour the filtered infusion into the pitcher and allow it to completely filter through. Otherwise, use the coffee filter method again (3rd time). Return filtered infusion to jar and add COOLED syrup. Place in a cool dry place for 40 days to begin mellowing process that combines alcohol infusion with syrup to create Limoncello.
• 5. DAY 40 or LATER Note: If you moisten the filters before the straining, you will not waste liqueur by soaking it into the filter. Begin filtering Limoncello. Use punch ladle to pour a small amount into a filter-lined funnel held over the small measuring cup. Fill measuring cup to an even ml level. (100, 200, 300, etc.) Using a smaller funnel and coffee filters or white paper towels, filter one last time into individual 200-ml bottles. You have now filtered the liqueur a total of 5 times. Seal bottles VERY tightly. Remember, if you are corking the bottles -- corks breathe. So consider dipping the neck several times in melted wax after corking. Label and/or tag bottles. Return to cool dark place for storage.
• 6. BRANDING YOUR LIQUEUR Your Limoncello is now ready to enjoy. However, the longer it sits and "ages" the smoother it becomes. I start my batches in the spring/summer when the lemons are at their best. Then I give it as gifts at Christmas time. Since Limoncello is a favorite warm weather treat it will have aged an entire year by the time most people drink it. VERY smooth and delicious! The 200 ml size bottles make ideal gifts. You should label the bottles with some basic information and a disclaimer (You don't want to be arrested by ATF as a Bootlegger). I label my bottles and add a decorative tag.
• 7. On My Labels: Casa di Graffagnino LIMONCELLO (or) ARANCELLO Premium Lemon (or Orange) Liqueur On My Tags: SERVING SUGGESTIONS: As an after dinner drink, serve one ounce in a small chilled aperitif glass. As a refreshing dessert, pour an ounce over a large scoop of shaved ice and garnish with a lemon twist. Limoncello / Arancello is best when served directly from the freezer. Ingredients: beverage alcohol; distilled water; pure cane sugar, & lemon oil infused from the peel of fresh lemons [oranges]. 200 ml -- 45% alcohol by volume This liqueur is homemade for private use only. Not intended to be sold or served commercially.

ORANGECELLO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the oranges in long strips (reserve the oranges for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the orange peels; discard the pith. Put the orange peels in a 2-quart pitcher or large glass bowl. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the orange peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Pour the syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the orangecello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the orangecello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

SPICED ARANCELLO

Steps:

• Pare the zest from the oranges using a peeler, making sure that none of the bitter white pith is left on the peel. Put the zest, spices and vanilla pod in one large or several smaller clean jars, then tip in the vodka. Seal and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
• After one week, you're ready for the next stage. Boil a kettle of water. Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl, then pour over 500ml boiling water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add to the vodka mix, then leave for another week, shaking the jar regularly. Strain into decorative bottles, discarding the peel and spices, and store in a cool place until Christmas. Before giving, drop some fresh spices and peel into each bottle to decorate. Will keep bottled for 6 months.