Ingredients
Infusion and syrup
- 6 lemons sound skins, washed and thoroughly dried; peel only
- 500 ml commercial vodka 50% ABV / 100 proof; beverage grade
- 250 ml water
- 180 g granulated sugar
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler
- Clean 1-litre glass jar with lid
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Small saucepan
- Measuring jug
- Clean glass bottles and funnel
Instructions
Infuse the peel
- Wash the lemons under running water and dry thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler, remove thin strips of yellow peel, leaving the thick white pith behind. Reserve the peeled fruit for another use.
- Put the peel in a clean, dry glass jar and pour over the 50% ABV vodka. Cap, label and keep in a cool dark place away from heat or flame for 14 days, gently turning the closed jar every few days.
Sweeten and chill
- After the infusion, put the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently for about 5 minutes, stirring until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool completely. Never heat the vodka or add it to hot syrup.
- Strain the infused vodka through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean measuring jug, removing all peel. Stir in the completely cooled syrup. Measure and record the finished volume; the expected yield is approximately 850–870 ml.
- Funnel into clean bottles, cap and label as alcoholic lemon liqueur with the preparation date. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Keep refrigerated and use clean pours; this recipe does not establish a tested shelf life.
- Serve measured small portions of about 30 ml to adults who choose alcohol. Do not assume the mixture will stay unfrozen in every freezer, and do not use a freezer rating as a measure of alcohol strength.
Nutrition
Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 6.5g
Video
Notes
Estimated nutrition per one-twenty-eighth of the batch, including sugar and alcohol energy. Based on 180 g sugar and 250 ml initial pure alcohol, using approximately 0.789 g/ml ethanol and 7 kcal/g. Peel extraction and straining losses vary. Expected finished strength is roughly 29% ABV if 250 ml alcohol remains in an 850–870 ml batch; it is not laboratory verified.
Illustrative ingredient budget: 500 ml vodka $12, lemons $4 and sugar $0.50; about $16.50 total. The lemon flesh remains available for another use. Local prices vary; bottles and energy excluded.
Video credit: Vincenzo's Plate. The demonstration uses a larger batch, 95% ABV grain alcohol and an approximately 20-day infusion. This card uses commercial 50% vodka, different syrup proportions and a 14-day peel infusion. Follow this card's formula rather than mixing the two sets of quantities.