Clemencello Recipes

CLEMENCELLO

Steps:

• Wash the clementines well, then gently grate off the zest, taking care not to press so hard as to go through the skin and into the fruit.
• Put the zest in a large, sterilised, sealable jar and pour over half the vodka. Seal and set aside somewhere cool for about 5 days, giving the jar a shake every now and then.
• Put 280ml water and the sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. This is important because if the syrup is warm it will result in a cloudy liqueur.
• Pour the clementine-infused vodka through a sieve lined with 3 layers of muslin into a jug, then mix with the remaining vodka and (cold) sugar syrup. Pour the mixture into cold, sterilised bottles, seal tightly with corks or airtight lids, then set aside in a cool, dark place for 10 days before using.
• To serve as a liqueur, chill in the freezer for several hours before drinking, then pour into small glasses.

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.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Pare the zest from all the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
• Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vodka and peels and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly.
• Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle.

CLEMENCELLO (CLEMENTINE LIQUEUR)

Steps:

• Cut the zest (colored portion of the peel) off the clementines, taking care to scrape away and discard all of the bitter white pith clinging to the zest. Add the zest to a large clean container or jar large enough to hold the peels and vodka. Reserve fruit for another use.
• Pour the vodka over the zest and seal the container. Let sit undisturbed in a cool, dark place for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Place 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved; remove from the heat. Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature.
• Add half of the cooled syrup to the orange peel-vodka mixture, stir and taste. If it's not sweet enough, continue adding more syrup until it's to your taste.
• Pour the clemencello through a funnel lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth into small containers or one container large enough to hold the liquid and seal.
• Store clemencello in the freezer; it shouldn't freeze. To serve, pour into small glasses and offer it for dessert with a plate of biscotti and/or chocolate truffles or use as you would limoncello.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Zest the lemons, and place zest into a large glass bottle or jar. Pour in vodka. Cover loosely and let infuse for one week at room temperature.
• After one week, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
• Stir vodka mixture into syrup. Strain into glass bottles, and seal each bottle with a cork. Let mixture age for 2 weeks at room temperature.
• Place bottled liqueur into the freezer. When icy cold, serve in chilled vodka glasses or shot glasses.

HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the lemons then dry them with kitchen paper. Peel the lemons with a ceramic potato peeler. Take care to remove ONLY the zest (yellow part), leaving the white spongy one on the lemon, as it could give a bitter taste to the liqueur.
• Place the lemon zest in a large airtight glass jar then pour the alcohol (or the Everclear or the Vodka). Let them infuse for 2 weeks in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Better cover the jar with a cloth to be sure that it remains in the dark. During this time, SHAKE THE JAR EVERY DAY to mix the ingredients well without ever opening the jar.
• After the required infusion time, you need to make the syrup. So put the water and sugar in a saucepan and, over low heat, bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then let it cool down.
• Now filter the liquid with a sieve and remove the lemon zest.
• Once the syrup is cold, add it to the infusion of alcohol and lemon zest and mix well. Now pour the Limoncello into glass bottles with hermetic closure or cork stopper. Store the bottles in a cool, dark place for one week.