Italian Limoncello

1. Combine grain alcohol and lemon zest in a 1-gallon jug; seal with a tight-fitting lid. Place in a cool, dark place for 1 month. Swirl contents of jug every few days.

2. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Set simple syrup aside to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.

3. While simple syrup is cooling, place a sieve over a large bowl; line with coffee filters. Strain alcohol mixture through coffee filters to remove all sediment. Replace filters as needed until all mixture has been strained. Strain one more time to ensure all sediment has been removed. Discard coffee filters and zest.

4. Add enough simple syrup to alcohol mixture to reach desired alcohol-by-volume percentage; refer to an alcohol content calculator.

5. Divide limoncello among 6 wine bottles; seal with corks. Rest in a cool, dark place for 1 month, swirling every few days. Strain limoncello through a sieve and coffee filters to remove any leftover sediment if desired.

6. Place 1 bottle limoncello in the freezer; serve icy-cold. Store remaining 5 bottles at room temperature.

Cook's Notes:

You might need 22 lemons, depending on size. Also using grapefruit or orange zest is excellent.

You may not use all of the simple syrup—typically I use 10 cups simple syrup to bring the ABV to 40 to 50 percent.