Happy Hour: Rosemary Limoncello

Get a head start on your holiday gift giving and whip together some Rosemary Limoncello. This yummy lemon liqueur would also make a nice little take home gift for a holiday get together.(Check back tomorrow for my "Mama needs a Martini Party" post.) Happy Friday!

Rosemary Limoncello

Yield

Makes 10 2/3 cups (ten 8.5-oz. bottles) (serving size: 1 oz.)

Ingredients

• 18 lemons (Meyer or Eureka; see Notes), washed and dried
• One 4-in. rosemary sprig, washed and dried
• 2 bottles (750 ml. each) 100-proof vodka, such as Stolichnaya or Smirnoff
• 4 1/2 cups sugar

Preparation

1. Peel lemons with a sharp vegetable peeler, taking only the zest (top layer) and avoiding any white pith. Put rosemary in a 1-gal. glass or ceramic container with a tight seal. Add zest to jar.

2. Pour 750 ml. vodka over rosemary and zest; seal container. Let sit undisturbed in a cool, dark place for 40 days.

3. In a saucepan, bring 5 cups water to a boil and add sugar. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Let sugar syrup cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

4. Pour syrup and remaining 750 ml. vodka over lemon-vodka mixture, stir, and seal container. Let sit in a cool, dark place for another 40 days.

5. Pour limoncello through cheesecloth into a large spouted pitcher and divide among gift bottles.

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