Step 4 to homemade limoncello...

We are one step (and 40 days) away from being able to enjoy this limoncello. This process takes about 3 months from beginning to start... I cannot wait!

To see what the first steps look like, go here: Steps 2 and 3 to homemade limoncello. Within that blog post will be a link to Step 1.



This is today's finished product...



Here is where I picked up... I pulled the two containers of liqueur out of the dark and cool cabinet plus I need coffee filters, a funnel, a ladle, baker's sugar, and distilled water.



Hours before I was ready to tackle this time-involved process I made the simple syrup. I chose "baker's sugar" over granulated sugar simply because it is finer and dissolves quickly. The simple syrup must cool before it can be added to the liqueur.



To make simple syrup you simply add 2 parts sugar and 1 part water to a pot and turn on the heat. Once the sugar is dissolved and the liquid turns clear then it's done. Give it a few stirs throughout this process... it's that easy.





And when you're ready to start the filtration process here is how it goes...



Remove the lemon rinds... they have served their purpose here. Lacking their bright yellow color at this point they still smell like lemon, but the taste has been left behind in the liqueur.



The liqueur now needs to be filtered of the "floaties"... yes, take a close look. It's not pretty... but it will be much prettier later in this post.



Here we go... find a coffee filter, a funner and another container to strain the liquid into. You might be surprised how fast these filters clog with "floaties". So be prepared to switch out the filter with nearly each ladle-full of liquid.



This process is time consuming, but necessary and well worth it.



Once it was time, I simply plopped the used filter into a bowl and placed a new one in the funnel.



Already you can see how much clearer the liquid is...



So let's step back and take a look at the whole process here. And as you'll see I'm filtering two liqueurs. While I'm at it I'm trying my hand at a grapefruit liqueur as well. (YUM!)



Similarly you'll see that the grapefruit rinds have lost of lot of their color in the past 40 days. But they imparted some major flavor to the vodka. Wow...



And THIS is what the last ladle of limoncello looks like before it gets filtered. I'm happy to know it's being filtered out.



Also this is what's left behind in the last filter... blech! I'm glad it's in the filter and not in the prized liqueur.



And here is where I'm going to skip some pics... the liqueur got filtered again. Yes, it got filtered a second time. The second time around the process went a bit faster... yay!





The last step is adding the cooled simple syrup to the liqueur and then adding it back to cook, dark cabinet.



I snuck a sip of the grapefruit liqueur ... and if it's any indication of what this is going to be like in 40 more days... well, holy moly!!! That will be the day!



In the meantime I'm counting the days...





enjoy your time in the kitchen...