Limoncello
Mom at the Commodore Club on the Queen Mary 2, just 4 months before she died. You can see glimpses of her fairy hair!
When we had money to travel, my family would go to Europe or somewhere kind of exotic. We rarely just went to the beach like a normal family and we never went to Disney World, something I resented at the time but appreciate now. (Oh Lord how I appreciate it. We took my kid to Disneyland because we happened to be in LA. The geotag for photos actually said “Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth!”. I disagree. With the huddled masses and all of that piped in Dixieland music, I was not happy.) Anyway, Mom would get on kicks and a theme would present itself. One summer we focused on Palladian architecture in Northern Italy, another time we studied Gaudi’s brilliant structures in Barcelona. There were Norman baptismal fonts in small villages in England and Romanesque architecture in a few different locations. A trip to Ravenna meant a quick submersion in all things Byzantine. Later, when I would take World Art History, it was so cool that I had seen a lot of these places in person!
When I was at the North Carolina School of the Arts for high school, one of our projects was to create a self portrait with an art historical reference. Well, that’s a challenge! I was truly stuck and all of my ideas were cheesy. I remember calling Mom from the pay phone in my dorm and telling her about the assignment. (I used to call Mom a lot in those days, not due to homesickness but because she was a good listener and more like a wise friend.) She remarked that she always thought I looked like one of those Byzantine icons with my big eyes. BOOM! Because of Ravenna, I knew what she was talking about! That was the nudge I needed and the project flowed from there. It being pre-Photoshop days, I made a cut and paste collage combining xeroxes of a Byzantine icon with an ink portrait of me. It worked! Thank you, Mom.
And, while I’m at it, thank you, Mom, for standing up for us when my roommate and I got wrongly accused of having alcohol in our dorm room that same year. (In reality, we had taken some empty alcohol bottles from an older friend’s place to put in our room because they looked cool. For real! We were idiots. But very VISUAL idiots.) The jerky Resident’s Life guy was trying to get us in major trouble and Mom wasn’t having it. She believed us. She got the charges dropped. Can I tell you how important it is to have your Mom believe you when things, frankly, don’t look so good for you? It’s huge. I’m trying to keep that in mind as I parent.
In light of Ravenna and booze, I present to you Mom’s recipe for Limoncello! It’s a good project for this cold weather and COVID lockdown. It takes 80 days to steep. so it will be ready for Spring and (let’s hope) better days!
LIMONCELLO
15 lemons*
2 bottles (750 ml) 100-proof vodka**
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
* Choose thick-skinned lemons because they are easier to zest.
** Use 100-proof vodka, which has less flavor than a lower proof one. Also the high alcohol level will ensure that the limoncello will not turn to ice in the freezer.
Preparation:
Wash the lemons with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any reside of pesticides or wax; pat the lemons dry.
Carefully zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel. NOTE: Use only the outer part of the rind. The pith, the white part underneath the rind, is too bitter and would spoil your limoncello.
Step One:
In a large glass jar (1-gallon jar), add one bottle of vodka; add the lemon zest as it is zested. Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least (10) ten days and up to (40) days in a cool dark place. The longer it rests, the better the taste will be. (There is no need to stir - all you have to do is wait.) As the limoncello sits, the vodka slowly take on the flavor and rich yellow color of the lemon zest.
Step Two:
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let the syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture. Add to the Limoncello mixture from Step One. Add the additional bottle of vodka. Allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.
Step Three:
After the rest period, strain and bottle: discarding the lemon zest. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
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