Lime-cello Test
So I wanted to see how it would taste if I infused my liquor with other fruit flavors. The most obvious place to start was limes. So, I made a half batch to test using the zest of 10 limes infused into a bottle of 100 proof Smirnoff vodka. I filtered the vodka four times before infusing with the zest. I let the mixture infused for about three weeks, until the zest started to look pale. I then added a simple syrup mixture of 2.5 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. I filtered, bottled and let that mixture rest for another week.
I didn’t expect this to work well because I had tried it with oranges last year and that batch was an atrocity. This, however, worked MUCH better than I ever expected. The color of the finished liquor was hard to tell from the Limoncello in most lighting conditions but the aroma was distinctly lime. The flavor was too. I made this batch with vodka because grain alcohol is hard to come by in my state and I’m fresh out right now. Usually the benefit of the grain alcohol is that it does a better job of extracting the flavor of the zest during infusion.
This batch had plenty of lime flavor though, and though it was a bit too sweet, the overall taste was absolutely sublime. I took a bottle of it to a party at a friend’s house (which was a bold move since I hadn’t tasted it yet) and everyone liked it. You could use it to make a great mojito or other drink that requires lime but it’s excellent straight up from the freezer.
20081118 5:08 am
i’m wondering if you’ve ever tried, or heard of anyone trying, grapefruit?
20090802 1:15 pm
Could you describe in a little more detail the filtering process of the vodka and the final product? Thanks, Scott
20090810 3:00 pm
For the vodka, I just run it through a Brita filter pitcher 5 times, pouring it from the Brita pitcher into a regular pitcher and then back into the Brita until finished. For the final filtration, I pour the infusion through a permanent coffee filter once to remove all the zest. Then I put disposable coffee filters inside the permanent filter one at a time and pour the limoncello through. I put the permanent filter in a funnel so it all goes where I want. Once the batch is filtered like that once, I do it a second time, then I pour through the permanent filter when filling the bottles.
20091011 6:49 am
Why do you have to filter the vodka, if most vodkas out there are 5 times distilled?
20100428 2:32 am
A friend of mine makes “mandarinetto”, which is limoncello made with mandarins. It is absolutely delicious! The other day I also tried one he made using a mix of lemons and oranges which was also lovely. I’m lucky enough to live in Italy, and he’s lucky enough to have a citrus grove in the back garden though.
20100610 9:09 pm
my girlfriend has a grape fruit plantation in their backyard and we always taste some of the harvest.,`”
20100720 10:09 pm
we always use grapefruit on our dessert and this is a fruit that is full of antioxidants too.::;