Direction

1. Since limoncello is made from the zest of lemons, you want to use thick-skinned, high-quality, organic lemons free of wax and pesticides. Wash and scrub off any dirt and dry your lemons thoroughly.
2. Using a Microplane, zest your lemons, taking care to zest only the peel and not the pith. (The pith is the bitter white part of the rind, which will give an unpleasant flavor to your limoncello. The peel is the yellow part of the rind, containing the oils that give zest its lemony flavor.)
3. You should end up with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of zest. Pour the zest into a clean half-gallon glass jar.
4. Pour the bottle of alcohol into the jar and seal with a lid.
5. With your potent mixture sealed, it's time to stash it away for three weeks (or up to six weeks if steeping in vodka). Keep the jar in a cool, dark place and let the alcohol work its magic.
6. After the waiting period has passed, examine the jar. The alcohol will have taken on a bright yellow hue by this point. Scoop up a spoonful of zest; if the zest has become pale and brittle, its job is done and all the oils have been released.
7. Now it's time to make the simple syrup. In a medium saucepan, dissolve the sugar in water over medium heat. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before adding it to the lemon-infused alcohol.
8. Give everything a stir, seal the jar again, and let it sit for at least another week. The limoncello will mellow out a lot during this period, and will continue to get smoother the longer it ages.
9. After a week or two (or even longer, if you can muster up the patience), it's ready to be bottled. Use two 36-ounce bottles to leave room for adding more simple syrup as needed, or two 32-ounce mason jars to fill completely with limoncello.
10. Strain the limoncello through a fine sieve to catch all the lemon zest.
11. Then, strain the limoncello again as you funnel it into glass bottles, using an ultra fine sieve, gold coffee filter, paper coffee filter, or layers of cheesecloth. The second straining might seem unnecessary at first, but it's worth the effort to get the liqueur as clear as possible. You know you've made a good one when you see the "lemon collar" — a ring of oil floating at the top.
12. Once everything is bottled up neatly, store your limoncello in the freezer, along with a couple of cordial glasses so you're always ready for dessert!