Limecello, 2nd batch

Long time, no post.  I have been busy with school lately, I'm in my last semester of graduate school and have a lot going on right now.

Anyways, the first batch of limecello tasted so good that I wanted to make some more, I am making a double batch.  20 limes this time.  I want to make it better too.  There was some bitter flavor in the first batch so I am trying to find a way to get rid of it. 

I figured the bitter flavor could have come from one of two things: Wax on the outside of the lime or pith was on the zest. 

I got the limes on sale but it is hard to find any organic limes in this area, especially this time of year, and they are often sprayed with wax.

I soaked the limes in soapy water and scrubbed them with a vegetable / potato scrubber and rinsed them really well.  Hopefully that eliminates any possibility of wax altering the flavor and screwing things up.

  I also scored a new zester from Target.  It does a pretty good job of taking only the outer layer of the peel and not getting too deep into the flesh.  This should have greatly reduced the amount of pith that might get put in the brew.


The zest shavings are extremely fine and the color of the brew turned dark green in the matter hours rather than days like the last batch. 


The stuff is so dark right now you cant see light through it.  It should be ready to be mixed with the simple syrup as early as Friday. 

Finishing the Limecello

The limecello was ready to be finished up this weekend. 

The color in the peels was gone and the juice had become a very deep green.    --------->



So it was time to make the simple syrup.

To make the simple syrup, I used 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water.  Put them in a pot over medium heat and stirred until all of the sugar was dissolved. 

I let the simple syrup cool to about room temp while I was working on the next step.

I used a kitchen funnel and a coffee filter to strain the juice and to catch any bits of zest that were floating around.  Sometimes you have to lift the coffee filter up every once and a while because the juice will stop flowing through the funnel. 

I had an old amaretto bottle lying around so I cleaned/sanitized it and hoped everything would fit inside. 

<-----Here is the limecello in the bottle without the simple syrup.

And here is the final product, it just fit! ---->

I poured the simple syrup into the bottle with the funnel (no filter) and gave it a good shake.

It is drinkable now, but some say it will get more flavor in about a week.  So I've been sipping on it here and there to see if it changes.

This stuff is great chilled, I have the bottle in my fridge. 

It is a tiny bit bitter, I must have got some pith in there, but otherwise it is really really good.  It's pretty strong too!

So 10 limes, a little under 3 cups of everclear, and some simple syrup made about 375 ml  (like half a wine bottle).

Making limecello

I started up the Limecello this afternoon.  First I started by cleaning/sanitizing/rinsing the jug I was going to be using.  Next, I washed and scrubbed the limes under cold water to get the wax and dirt off.

Then came the peeling.  I would highly recommend investing in a zester.  I thought I had one, but I guess I misplaced it.  I used an extra sharp peeler instead.  Make sure you don't get any of the white parts (pith) of the lime on your peels or it will have a very bitter flavor.  This took a bit longer than I expected because I didn't have a zester.

I went back through the peels before I put them in the jug and picked off whatever pith was remaining, to the best of my ability.

Then I put the peels in the clean jug and added the Everclear.  Now the jug will hang out in my cabinet until next week, when I will be adding the simple syrup.


I have a bunch of limes that need to be juiced.  I'm thinking that I will freeze some of the juice and maybe make some marinades or salad dressing out the rest.

Limecello recipe

I was at the store the other day and limes are on sale, so I got 10 limes to make a test batch of Limecello.  There are not a ton of recipes for Limecello specifically, but there are plenty for limoncello.  So, I am drafting up my own by borrowing from different limecello and limoncello recipes. So here is what I plan to do:

SammyK's Limecello
Ingriedents:
10 limes
1 2/3 cups of Everclear
Simple syrup = 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, heated on stove until sugar is dissolved.

Directions:
Zest (or peel) the limes ensuring not to get any pith (white fibers) at all, only green flesh.
Place the zest into a clean and sanitized glass jar or jug.
Add the Everclear
Set in a cool, dark place for 7-8 days or until peels lose the green color.

Prepare Simple Syrup and remove from heat to cool.
Strain the mixture of zest and Everclear to remove the lime zest.
When the Simple Syrup is cool, add it to the mixture and bottle
Let the bottle stand for a few weeks and serve, preferably chilled


I just realized I'm going to have a crap ton of limes to juice...
Maybe I will freeze the juice or use it for limeaid or something... Open to any suggestions!

I will probably start this up tomorrow because I have plans tonight.  Happy Friday everyone!