Over the past several weeks I’ve shared my forays into combining seasonal fruit from the garden with my efforts at making my own alcohol. This time it was using limes.
Lime Gin
In my first attempt I sliced 9 limes and added them to a litre of my favourite citrus spice gin and left it to infuse for a month. The result was a bit cloudy and it was quite bitter (from using the pith of the limes). This wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste, but I actually quite like the result especially with an elderflower tonic.
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- Slices of lime infusing into gin
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- Lime gin with elderflower tonic
Lime-cello
Wondering how I could get a less bitter outcome, I remembered my previous recipe for Limoncello that uses the peeled zest (not the pith) and the juice.
Zest of 12 limes
250ml fresh lime juice
1 litre vodka
600ml vodka syrup*
Wash the limes. Use a zester to peel the skin. Juice the limes and put the juice and zest into a large jar with the vodka. Store in a dark, dry place for at least 2 weeks to let the flavour absorb into the vodka. Strain the vodka mixture through wet muslin or cheesecloth. Add the vodka syrup* I was too lazy to make it this time and just added 1 cup of sugar (adjust to your taste) and shook it until the sugar dissolved. Store in bottles ready for use. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
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- 12 limes
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- Zest the limes
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- Lime-cello
What a delightful read! Your experimentation with lime-infused drinks is truly inspiring. For those looking to create a smoother Lime Gin, consider adding a touch of honey or agave syrup to balance the bitterness of the pith. It can work wonders in rounding out the flavors. Combining seasonal fruit from the garden with anything is the best!
Al