Sous Vide Limoncello Vodka Cocktail

Anova Culinary

Years ago, I made a big plan of giving everyone a bottle of limoncello for the holiday season. That sweet, lemony Italian liqueur was something I found delectable. I originally made this decision to gift such a beverage in early December and only started creating the recipe around mid-month. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, but 10-14 days of preparation was not going to cut it – until I discovered that I could use my Anova Precision Cooker for limoncello and get results in two hours. (Don’t tell my friends, but they’re all still getting limoncello in their stockings this year). Note: I use a lot of lemons in my cooking, and I am in the habit of peeling them before I squeeze them for juice—I don’t like wasting anything I might find a use for someday! I store lemon peel in a bag in the freezer, so when I decided to make limoncello, I had all the peel I needed.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:20

Recipe Time: 03:00

Temperature : 134.6F / 57C

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Set the Anova Precision Cooker to 135ºF (57ºC).
  2. Combine the vodka and lemon zest in a large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 2 or up to 3 hours.
  3. While vodka infuses, prepare the syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool to room temperature.

Finishing Steps

  1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Strain the contents of the bag through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Stir in the syrup.
  2. Pour limoncello into sterile, decorative bottles to give as gifts or return to original vodka bottle. Cap off and store in the freezer.