Going, Going, Gone...

On our trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Mutsumi and I were treated nightly to Limonciello, a strong local liquor made from the large lemons that grew in the area. It was served after every meal, and was quite tasty but stong as hell. We couldn't leave Italy without it and brought two bottles of Il Limoncello Di Masaniello back with us.


I usually don't keep liquor in the house, but for this stuff we made an exception. And now, slowly but surely, meal after meal, our Limonciello reserves have dwindled. We now find ourselves with only about half a bottle left, less than what you see in this picture.


So two weekends ago when I was back at my parents' home in CT, their neighbor Vinny Bassani drops by for a visit. (Long time readers will remember how fondly I speak of Mrs. Bassani's lasagna.) We get to talking about Italy and Limonciello comes up. I tell him our tale of woe about our supply soon running dry, and he asks very matter-of-factly in his smooth Italian accent, "Why don't you just make it yourself?" I must have let out an audible "Wha.. huh?" because he quickly followed that up with, "It's easy, let me tell you the recipe." And he did.

Now I've thrown my fair share of parties, consumed copious amounts of beer and liquor, and mixed plenty of drinks over the years, but I'm getting into new territory here now. So over the course of the next two weeks, I'll be documenting my first attempt at making an actual alcoholic beverage here on Chesterfest.