Archive for ‘Drink Diary’
9 items.
Aug31
Limoncello, Week 8
We’ve reached the 2/3 point in this first little experiment in infusing!
Now might be a good time to think about what to try next. I know I’ve been meaning to make my own grenadine at some point (the real stuff is, supposedly, so much better than the stuff on the grocery store shelf), hydromel is never a bad idea–and actually requires a bit of fermentation–and then there’s a variety of syrups that are used in tiki drinks and specialty cocktails.
But, you know, since I’m doing this in web-public, I’m open to preferences or suggestions: What would you like to learn more about?
At any rate, our limoncello is progressing nicely. It is clearing up a bit more (it’s been moved a few times–there’s not really a place in my home, right now, that is free from being disturbed) but otherwise has stayed the same.
4 more weeks and we strain!
Oh, and I mention a blind tasting in early October. A date has not yet been set but if you’re in the Tallahassee area (or can easily get here) and would like to be one of my tasters, drop me a line in the comments or email me at randomactscomics[at]gmail[dot]com and I’ll keep you in the loop! If there’s enough interest I think a casual dinner party could even be planned–no sense trying Limoncello on an empty stomach, right?
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Aug24
Limoncello, Week 7
About mid-week the floating strips of zest settled back down at the bottom of the jar.
The cloudiness is still present except for the top quarter-inch or so. That’s a shame–I prefer the opaque yellow color, it looks far more appetizing to me. Still, it will be interesting to see if it continues to self-clarify or stays murky.
5 more weeks and we strain out the solid particles–we’re over the halfway hump!
In 4 weeks I start a smaller batch with a 1 week steep just to compare the two, along with a bottle yet to be purchased from the local liquor store.
A blind taste-test is sounding promising, some time in early October.
Aug17
Limoncello, Week 6
It grew!
It’s so nice to report a change for once!
Of course, this is the week where we sweeten things up. Make a sugar syrup of 1.75 cups of white sugar and 2.5 cups water. (Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and boil for 5 minutes or so.) Let it cool to room temperature before stirring it into the lemon-infused alcohol.
It’s going to get cloudy but this is expected. This is the same thing that happens with a lot of the high-proof aperitifs that are usually served with water. The zest also chose to float instead of settle at the bottom like it did with just the alcohol. Relative densities and all that.
Now that we’ve introduced sugar into the mix and exposed it to a little bit of air, I’m going to be on the lookout for any molds that may start to form. The alcohol content should still be high enough, even though it’s now diluted about half, to prevent it but stranger things have been known to happen.
Aug10
Limoncello, Week 5
Once again, no change. Not exactly surprising.
But that’s okay, I don’t have time to fool with it right now, so waiting is good.
Next weekend we add the sugar-syrup and then we get to wait some more. But by then? It will have grown and diluted to an extent. Maybe more color-”change” action?
Time will tell!
Aug03
Limoncello, week 4
Another week of nothing.
Is it just me or does it look a little more orange? I don’t think it’s a trick of the light, I think it’s taken on a deeper color.
But, then again, maybe I’m just wishing for some sort of change to report.
That’s entirely possible.
In 2 weeks we’ll be adding the sugar syrup and all you’ll need for that is water and plain, white granulated sugar… and then another 6 weeks of nothing.
I have to say, keeping up with this is a true test of will for me–I’m not much for long, drawn-out periods of waiting around. It’s not my nature. I mean, I just ditched an avocado pit after realizing it would take 3-4 years to bear anything. I’m not big on patience.
But this, this I think I can do.
Baby steps, right?
Jul27
Limoncello after 3 weeks
Not much difference, huh? I suppose it’s just doing it’s think but…
Hey, 3 weeks and we add the sugar syrup and see what’s what. Until then it will occupy space on the bar and remind me that time is ticking–
This week went *so* incredibly fast, it’s almost August!
Anyone else have their own Limoncello going? Are you doing it the long way, an abbreviated version or did you just give up and buy a bottle instead?
Jul20
Limoncello after 2 weeks
Not really much to report on the process of limoncello-ing.
It sat there.
It didn’t get shaken or moved or anything really [Todd just informed me he was occasionally shaking it--gotta work on communicating the plan more clearly!].
It just sat there.
But that’s okay because that’s what it’s supposed to be doing. Sitting and steeping and getting all the lemon flavor it possibly can.
Also? This second week seemed to go by in a flurry of activity that makes me realize October isn’t all that far away! They even had fall/Halloween stuff out in the fabric store yesterday.
(Despite the fact that it’s my favorite holiday, I’m still not ready for the year to be that over yet!)
The color seems to have deepened a little more and, without agitation, a lot of the little particles I noticed last week have settled.
4 more weeks and we add a whole bunch of sugar syrup.
Jul13
Limoncello after 1 week
We’re making Limoncello the low and slow way with an expected tasting sometime in October.
After 1 week of swirling it around from time to time the zest has begun to pale, some, in relation to the deep yellow of the infused alcohol. I did unscrew the cap and take a sniff out of curiosity–still very strong!
What I’m not seeing (and this is a good thing) is any sort of growth on the surface which means everything is still nice and ick-free in there. Since we’re not trying to ferment anything this is as it should be.
There is a little bit of clouding but I think that’s to be expected–little bits of the zest mixing in. If you choose to use a microplane instead of strips you can probably expect even more cloudiness.
This will all be dealt with in the straining process.
1 week down, 11 to go!
Jul06
The other week I read somewhere about someone making their own Limoncello. A virtual ear perked up at that–I’m always up for trying something new! Then Grace flat-out asked how to make Limoncello this weekend.
Oh, it’s on!
That was just the little nudge I needed to add lemons and grain alcohol to my shopping list this Saturday and away we go!
First, of course, I did a little digging as to the how to. I’ve found recipes that are done in a weekend all the way up to 3 months and a few points in between.
Limoncello is, essentially, a lemon-infused alcohol sipped after dinner in Italy. It’s fairly simple to make since you don’t need to distill or ferment anything, you just need the patience of a saint to let it sit for up to three months. While the recipes that suggest a weekend or week’s wait is all that’s require are, I’m sure, perfectly fine, the peanut gallery is actually very helpful in persuading me to do it longer, a la LimoncelloQuest.
***I should also point out that, should you play along and make your own Limoncello with me, that you can drink it at home and share it with friends but under no circumstances should you attempt to sell it without proper authority of the Bureau of Alcohol and whatever-else in your area. End public service (and save your ass) announcement.***
Ben over at LimoncelloQuest has been incredibly thorough in practice and documentation of his mission to create amazing Limoncello so I’m going to use his experience and the base for my forray into infused liquor, adjusting as necessary, though his recipe mirrors others I’ve found across the Internet with the exception of time involved.
All we’re using is the zest, so choose lemons based solely on their appearance. I know, I know, it’s not fair to the lemon’s inner beauty but we’re looking for thick skin so I think they can take it. Buy organic if you can. This will save you time cleaning off waxes and pesticides.
Prepping the Lemon Zest
Zest the lemons avoiding the white, spongy pith beneat the surface. LQ prefers a microplane but I prefer a simple paring knife. Remove strips of lemon peel and then clean up any of the inevitable pith that tags along. Unless you know of a source of square lemons, it’s going to happen.
Mincing Zest
While I had no intention of reducing the zest to dust, I do believe if giving the alcohol ample surface area to harvest the cirtus oils from. Once cleaned of all pith I reduced the strips to small matchsticks. I briefly considered freezing the zest strips before slicing them up, going back to my recent observation about ice and zest, and I suppose you could shave off a week or two that way but for this go round I figured we could do it the long way to start.
Lemon, Meet Alcohol
I used 8 large lemons for the single 750 mL bottle of 151 Everclear (grain alcohol). Some folks think Vodka is a good base alcohol, others prefer a cleaner grain alcohol. Inside a 2 qt “cracker jar” I picked up at Wal-Mart that morning the lemon zest and the alcohol had their first handshake. The lid seemed fairly tight but it did have a cardboard insert rather than metal or plastic so I placed a piece of plastic wrap over the opening before screwing on the lid.
A Good Beginning
It’s going to be cozy for 45 days, give or take, before we add a quart of sugar syrup and let it sit for another 45 days. But for this first week we’re going to be swirling and shaking it around several times a day. We were surprised that within minutes the Everclear had taken on a yellow hue, certainly a positive sign!
Over the next 3 months I’ll be doing a check-in with the limoncello-to-be and post a photo every week so we can see how things develop over time. Once we get closer to the end (early October) and it’s time to start straining and tasting, I’ll do a quickie batch and Todd & I will taste the two and compare.
If you decide to play along and make a batch of limoncello alongside Todd & I, let us know in the comments.
And, in the mean time, turn those now-naked lemons into lemonade! 8 lemons yeilded a smidge over 1.5 cups of juice, a perfect amount to combine with a sugar syrup of 3/4 c sugar and 2 1/4 cups water, making a quart of lemonade concentrate to be combined with equal parts water, sparkling water, soda or (as we prefer) strongly brewed Earl Grey Tea.
