Homemade Limoncello

MAKES: 8 Servings

10 organic lemons, washed and dried

1 750-ml bottle vodka (100-proof preferred, or 80-proof)

1 to 4 cups sugar, to taste

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the lemon peels. Try to remove only the outer yellow skin and as little of the pith as possible. Trim away any large pieces of pith from the peels with a paring knife. Transfer the lemon peels to a 1-quart jar and cover with vodka and screw on the lid. Let the vodka and lemon peels infuse out of direct sunlight for at least 4 days or as long as a month. The longer you let the vodka infuse, the more lemon flavor you will get. Once sufficiently steeped, line a strainer with a large coffee filter and set it over a 4-cup measuring cup or large bowl. Strain the infused vodka through the filter.

To finish, prepare a sugar syrup of at least 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring the water to a simmer and stir in the sugar to dissolve then allow to cool. Pour the sugar syrup into the infused vodka. (You can play with the ratios of water to sugar. Start with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar, taste the limoncello, you can make and add additional sugar syrup until you reach a flavor you like. More water will dilute the alcohol base, making it less alcoholic and milder tasting which some people like. More sugar will make a sweeter limoncello.)

Bottle your limoncello into whatever size bottle(s) you like, just make sure it has a tight seal. Chill the limoncello in the fridge or freezer for at least 4 hours before drinking. Limoncello can be kept in the fridge for up to a month or the freezer for up to a year.

Lemon Bars

MAKES: 15 Bars

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided 2 ½ cups for crust and 1/2 cup for filling

2/3 cups powdered sugar, for the shortbread, plus more for dusting

½ tsp salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter melted

3 tbsp lemon zest zest of three lemons

3 cups sugar

8 eggs large, room temperature

1 cup lemon juice fresh

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.

Whisk together 2 1/2 cups of flour with the powdered sugar and salt, then pour in the melted butter and mix until combined. You can also do this using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. If you’d like a dash of vanilla can be added in with the butter at this step.

Sprinkle the dough into your lined pan and press down into a flat layer. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until a light golden color.

While the crust is baking add the sugar to a food processor and add the zest of three lemons. Pulse until the zest is fully incorporated and sugar is a light yellow color. If you don’t have a processor just mince the zest and mix with the sugar in a bag or bowl.

Add the sugar and remaining half cup of flour to a large bowl and mix well. You can sift together however and zesty sugar bits will need to get dumped out of the sifter as they might clog things up and not go through.

Pour in the lemon juice and add the eggs then mix very well until completely combined. Pour the filling onto the warm crust then transfer to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through the bake. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for an hour before chilling in the refrigerator for two hours.

Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars using a clean, sharp, damp knife. Clean and re-wet the knife after each cut.

Tequila Sunrise

MAKES: 1 serving

2 ounces blanco tequila

4 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed

¼ ounce grenadine

1 orange slice & cherry for garnish

Add the tequila and then the orange juice to a chilled highball glass filled with ice.

Top with the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom of the glass, creating a layered effect.

Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.