Lemon-basil liqueur

Pardon the lack of posts lately. I’ve been otherwise occupied.

Today I filtered and bottled a variation on the standard limoncello. For the most part it was prepared as before, but this time there were two new additions.

I added 2.5 tsp of citric acid to the sugar solution. The hope was that this would give the liqueur a little edge which was lacking in the first batch of limoncello. That worked out, but not as well as I’d hoped. There’s a little bite in there but nothing too noticeable. Phosphoric acid probably would have been better in that regard (Guy, got some to spare?).

A week (OK, two weeks…like I said, I’ve been occupied) before straining and bottling the liqueur I added a very large handful of bruised fresh basil leaves to the mix. I dunno…it just sort of seemed like the thing to do. Turns out it wasn’t such a bizarre idea, as the resulting beverage has a lovely but almost unrecognizable flavor. The basil brings out some of the more floral qualities of the lemon, making the entire thing taste fairly fresh.

There’s another batch of citric acid-doctored limoncello currently sitting in my closet. The plan is to give it a similar herbal treatment but with lavender. I know, I know… You’re going to point out that I don’t even like lavender, right? Well, sure, that’s true. But lavender which has been soaking in lemon-saturated alcohol and sugar solution might just make that step which takes it beyond being just tolerable. Now all I have to do is get off my duff and buy that lavender.