I love Rome, and whilst there’s nothing quite to compare with sitting at the bar at the top of the Forum hotel overlooking Ancient Rome by torchlight whilst waiters look down the front of your dress and ply you with free limoncello, the satisfaction of your own home-made vodka almost makes up for it. Also, I swear there were bed bugs and that’s the nasty hopping kind, not some sophisticated listening device.
This is very similar to making plum vodka. You need a large kilner jar that you have sterilised by placing in a hot oven for 20 mins and then allowed to cool. Whilst you’re waiting for this, take the zest from 14 lemons, yes, I know it’s a pain but worth it – if anyone out there has discovered a machine that zests, please put us all out of our misery! Place the zest in the jar and add 750ml of vodka. Put the lid on and place in a dark place for 2 weeks, or longer if you want more colour. If you don’t want to waste the juice from all those lemons, you can freeze it in those ice cube bags, so it is handy to be able to use cube by cube.
After two weeks, make a syrup of 1000ml of water and 800g of sugar ( I am experimenting using the lemon juice for this, but will report back on whether it worked). Allow it to cool and add to the vodka and zest mixture along with a further 750ml of vodka. Leave for a further rwo weeks or longer if you wish, then it is ready to strain in to pretty, sterilised bottles and to drink or give as presents. It is wonderful, freezing cold drunk on its own, but also good as part of my limoncello champagne martini (see method from last weekend).
The Bombay Boys 