Ingredients

6 lemons

1 750-milliliter bottle vodka (preferably 100-proof)

1 1/2 cups sugar.

Preparation

  1. With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from lemons, being careful not to include any white pith. Put zest in a half-gallon jar with a tight-fitting lid, and add vodka. Cover, and let stand at room temperature for 10 days, or until zest is pale and vodka is a deep yellow.

  2. Strain liquid into a large glass bowl, leaving zest in strainer.

  3. Bring 3 cups water and the sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour hot sugar syrup over zest in strainer into a heatproof bowl. Discard zest. Let cool.

  4. Add syrup to vodka, forming a liqueur. Pour into bottles with tight-fitting lids. Let stand for 5 days. Store in freezer.