The perfect weekend project for you that will pay you and your dinner guests dividends for months to come: homemade Limoncello (the classic Italian liqueur) and it's delicious pals Pompelmocello (grapefruit) and Arancello Rosso (blood orange). The blood orange and the classic lemon are my favorites!

Some folks allow the mixture to steep for just a few days or a week. I waited a month and think the result is more authentic. Note: You may need to modify the ratio of sugar to water until the taste is to your preference. We used a little more water than sugar in the end.

Homemade Limoncello, Pompelmocello, and Arancello Rosso

recipe makes 1.25 - 2 liters of liqueur

8-12 of your citrus of choice such as lemons, grapefruit, and blood oranges
1 L bottle Everclear
2-4 c sugar
water

Thoroughly wash the fruit, as the alcohol will absorb anything on or in the peel. Peel the fruit, avoiding as much of the pith as possible. We used a vegetable peeler. Peel enough fruit to fill a 1 liter bottle about 3/4 full. Completely cover the peels with the alcohol, and put a lid on the mixture.

Here's what the mixture looked like when we first combined the the peels and the alcohol on Day 1:

Let sit for 3-4 weeks in a cool, dry place.

Strain the alcohol through coffee filters into a new container. 

Make simple syrup by combining 1 part sugar and 1 part water and stirring periodically until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 15 minutes, and begin adding to the booze. This is where you'll need to taste as you go. Add a little at a time and change the ratio of sugar to water as necessary. Too sweet? Use more water. In the end I used 5 cups water and 4 cups sugar per batch.

Serve per tradition — right out of the freezer!