Using the blender dramatically increases the surface area of the zest, resulting in a reduced seeping time.
My recipe doesn’t call for that. I may try it for future batches.
Only 17 days to go: limoncello, orangecello
I pulled mine last weekend, ran it through a fine-mesh strainer, and then through a basket coffee filter. I then added 12 fl oz simple syrup - the uncut was about 10 fl oz.
I estimate the final mixture was about 35% APV. I’ve been enjoying it over ice with a splash of soda water.
Important tip: do not forget the simple syrup.
You don’t keep your bottle in the freezer? That’s where I keep mine.
There is a very good reason I’ve not been doing that:
I didn’t think about it.
Gotcha
I leave my store-bought vodka, gin, tequila, & rums in the freezer. Mixers live in the fridge. Makes for much nicer mixed drinks in my warm climate.
The ice in a drink made with cold ingredients melts much more slowly while you still enjoy a very chill non-diluted beverage.
I keep my very small selection in the freezer. I also keep some whiskey stones in the freezer.
I do keep my premade martinis in the freezer. I dunno why the limoncello didn’t occur to me.
I have bought a variety of such things in the past. Granite, stainless steel, etc. I’ve found their cold retention (heat absorption really) capacity to be pitiful compared to water ice. For very well-understood physics reasons.
As a practical matter they just get in the damned way of drinking and don’t provide meaningful amounts of cold.
Does anyone else concur or dissent? And ideas for better more effective stones? Do you have something that really works for you, or are they all sorta half-assed better-than-nothing which is my POV?
For sure the ideal would be a physically & thermally thin rigid container sealed full of water or a similar substance so you can get the advantage of the latent heat of fusion without the dilution. That’s a product I’ve not seen.
Like these?
Incredible. It was lame enough already that they limited it to 151 (or 153, I think) as of several years ago. Everclear is supposed to be 190 proof. And now it’s down to 120? Apparently so.
This thread reminded me that I need to get some spiced rum going. I didn’t have a good choice of rum and I wanted something cheap as a base. So last night, I got some 90 proof coconut rum and added a half tablespoon each of vanilla and orange extract, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, and a small star of anise. I just realized that I should add a few peppercorns and some nutmeg. Next week I will give it a taste to see if it has enough spice. Although If I leave it for a few months, that should give it a good soak.
Thanks for that reference. The guy at BevMo was guessing it was a state requirement and he wasn’t sure, but we see here that it is.
Yes, California allows a lower alcohol content. Nevada is supposed to allow up to only 151 (75.5%) yet I can regularly find 190 proof at major chains.
I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I’m in Nevada next time.
That’s a very odd web page. As i read it, it claims that you can sell high-proof alcohol in California, because it’s not a beverage, but the regulation it quotes says the opposite (as does the practice reported here).
I did some more searching and I can’t make sense of the law, either. As best I can tell, nothing actually changed in the past 10-20 years, and yet it’s clear that you could buy Everclear 151 previously, while today you can only get 120. It seems to hinge on the definition of “simply alcohol”, which would certainly exclude rums, say (so Bacardi 151 is still sold), but Everclear is definitely just ethanol and water. Perhaps previously they slid under the law, arguing somehow that Everclear isn’t “simply alcohol” by this definition, and then they got some notice that this is no longer an acceptable interpretation.