Sustainable Limoncello and Lemon Cracker
This week we’re going to take a look at Lemons, one of the most common bartending and household ingredients.
We use lemon juice and zest in lots of dishes and drinks, but we hardly use the rest of the fruit which is a dam shame.
To prevent that from happening, let’s take a look at how we can use the lemon Skins and Pulp to create Sustainable Limoncello!
Sustainable Limoncello
The reason why I like to call it ‘Sustainable Limoncello’ is because it uses not just the skins of the lemon, but also the pulp.
The skins will be infused with alcohol (in this case I will be using vodka) and the pulp will be transformed into a syrup. (The lemon pulp is often overlooked since what most people use is the juice).
Combining the Lemon Peel Vodka with the Lemon Pulp Syrup will give us our Sustainable Limoncello, a perfect after-dinner drink to sip on or even mix into your cocktails.
I’ve divided the recipe into 4 parts so make sure you have the following ingredients before you start.
Ingredients
- Lemon Peels
- Lemon Pulp (from juicing)
- Vodka
- Sugar
Part I:
Lemon Peel Vodka
Take your skins and put them in a jar.
Keep note that the lemon which I’m using is much larger than some you might find in the supermarket, so feel free to use two.
Once your lemon is peeled, put the peels into a container and pour in 150ml of Vodka.
You can let this sit for 3-4 days, or if you’re like me and don’t have the patience to wait that long you can Sous Vide it at 65°C for 2 hours.
(If you want to know how to Sustainably Sous Vide, you can find the section on my post of Watermelon Rind Infusion).
Part II:
Lemon Pulp Syrup
While you’re waiting for your infusion, it’s time to make the lemon syrup for your limoncello.
After having juiced your lemon, scrape out the pulp using a spoon and place it in a jar.
Put equal amounts of sugar to lemon pulp and mix it all together.
You want the sugar to coat every little bit of pulp.
Let it sit overnight at room temperature or until you see all of the sugar completely dissolved.
Let it sit overnight at room temperature or until you see all of the sugar completely dissolved.
Once you no longer see any sugar crystals, pass the pulp through a strainer and separate your lemon syrup from the pulp.
Part III:
Combine Vodka & Syrup Together
Once your Vodka has been completely infused and your syrup is ready, it’s time to combine the two together.
The ratio is an easy 2:1 Infused Vodka to Lemon Syrup, so for every 200ml of Infused Vodka, mix 100ml of Lemon Syrup.
If your limoncello is too sweet or not sweet enough you can always adjust the ratio.
And there you have it! A simple, fast, and Sustainable Limoncello for an after-dinner sip or for your cocktails.
Part IV:
Lemon Pulp Cracker
Did you remember to keep that lemon pulp you used for making the syrup?
All of that leftover pulp which has been coated with sugar is now packed with flavor!
Make sure to spread it out on a tray with wax paper and set it in your oven at 75 -100 °C until it darkens in color and hardens.
You can do the same if you have a dehydrator.
Once you achieve this result, break up the large cracker into smaller pieces to individually garnish your cocktails and drinks!
Try making a variation of a White Lady by swapping out Cointreau with your Sustainable Limoncello! 🍋
Sustainable White Lady
INGREDIENTS
- 45ml Gin
- 45ml Sustainable Limoncello
- 20ml Lemon Juice
- 20ml Aquafaba or Egg White
Dry Shake followed by a Wet Shake.
Garnish with a Lemon Pulp Cracker!
