Limoncino or Limoncello...

First, I am not sure if there is a difference between "limoncello" and "limoncino." I use them interchangeably to mean a sweet digestivo made from a clear alcohol base, lemon zest and simple syrup.

The first consideration is the type of lemons. My favorite to use are the Meyer lemons, which grow in abundance on backyard trees in the Bay Area. The Meyer is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin (or other sort of orange thing) and is sweeter and more nuanced than the bright Eureka or Lisbon lemons. However, any lemon will do, and as you get good at this, you might start blending them (I imagine that 75% Meyer and 25% Lisbon would be interesting, a little punchier than the straight Meyer, but with the orange notes that make Meyer so delicious).

However, Meyers do not ship well, so if you don't grow them or know someone who does, you will probably not be able to buy them (unless you live in an area where you have no need of buying them, because they are free all over).

So, pick out five lemons (preferably organic, especially since there is really no reason to apply pesticide to lemon trees, and you want nothing but the lemon oil to be leached into the alcohol). Wash them gently and peel them with a vegetable peeler. Use a sharp knife to remove every little bit of pith, which will make your limoncello bitter). Put the zest in a clean (and I mean CLEAN) mason jar.

Add your alcohol (pure grain alcohol, grappa or vodka: 1 7/8 cups pure grain, 2 of grappa, 2 1/8 of vodka). Seal the jar, and put it in the sun for a couple of weeks.

Make a simple syrup of 2 1/2 cups sugar to 2 cups of water with a pinch of cream of tartar or a dash of corn syrup (optional, but it inhibits problems later) by bringing to a boil, then simmering for ten minutes. Allow the syrup to cool (I have had mason jars break when I added insufficiently cooled syrup to cold extractives).

Filter the lemon extract through cheesecloth layers, return to the jar and add the syrup. Shake it vigorously, and let it sit for another two to three weeks (or months, even better). Bottle it (if you need your mason jar, or have made quadruple batches, as I do), and keep a bottle in the freezer (sometimes, depending on what alcohol you used and the temperature of your freezer, you might have to spike it with some grappa to keep it from freezing).

Serve small glasses of chilled limoncello after meals or drizzle it over berry sorbet or over poundcakes. You can make girly drinks with it, too, but please don't tell me about it!