Recipe: Limoncello Made From Eureka Lemons

The Ingredient: Eureka Lemons

The Eureka is the original California lemon. While the genus Citrus originated in Asia, Arab traders in the 12^th century introduced the tart gems to Spain, and with the Spanish, citrus made its way to the Golden Coast along the California mission trail.

This early mission fruit became the base for many of the commercial varieties available today, including the Eureka Lemon. Developed in California in 1958, the Eureka is now an old friend to us all, well known as the common supermarket variety of lemon. It is also the fruit we all squeezed for the lemonade stands of our youth.

Extremely high in vitamin C, lemons were prized during the Gold Rush as protection against scurvy for miners. Indeed, the demand was so great that the fortune hunters were paying up to $1 per lemon—a price that would be considered expensive even today and was out of this world back in 1849.

In addition to vitamin C’s powerful antioxidant and antibiotic qualities, lemons (along with other varieties of citrus) contain compounds called limonoids, potent anti-carcinogens that have been shown to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

With spring, lemons come into their peak season. The recipe below is for one of the season’s simplest, most delicious adult beverages around. Granted, you don’t get as much of the fruit’s impressive health benefits when you mix it with a bottle of vodka, but I won’t tell if you don’t.

The Recipe: Limoncello

10 lemons

1 (750-ml) bottle vodka

3 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

Peel the lemons in long strips using a vegetable peeler. Reserve the lemons themselves for another use—lemonade perhaps—and set the peel strips aside. Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels and discard. Place the peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to steep for 4 days at room temperature.

Heat the water in a large saucepan over medium heat until warm; stir in the sugar until completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the simple syrup over the vodka mixture, cover and let stand overnight at room temperature. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer and discard the peels. Transfer to a bottle and refrigerate until cold (around 4 hours to fully chill) and serve! Keeps in the freezer up to one month. 

Salute!