You can make your own liquid sunshine! All you need is lemons, sugar, and vodka.

You've enjoyed it after dinner, you've seen Danny DeVito make an ass of himself over it, and now you've got the recipe for making limoncello! Sure, you can buy it at any decent liquor store, but it's so easy to make, a homemade batch is totally worth the effort!

First, wash and dry some lemons. The more you use, the more lemony it will taste. Zest them with a microplane grater, but be careful to avoid the bitter white pith. A vegetable peeler will work in a pinch, too.

Next, place the zest in a glass jar and fill with a bottle of your favorite vodka - preferably 100 proof. Seal it. Now let it steep at least two weeks, giving it a shake daily. By the end, the peels will lose their color, and the liquid will be bright yellow and aromatic.

Strain the whole thing through a double layer of cheesecloth into a clean jar or bowl. Make sure to squeeze out those last delicious drops! Now pour in another bottle of vodka. Woohoo!

Set that aside and combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, add syrup to infused vodka.

Using a funnel, pour this bit of deliciousness into sterilized bottles, seal tightly, and let rest at least one week in the freezer. Further aging will smooth out the flavors even more.

Now invite your friends, pop open a few bottles, and show them how cool you are!

Creative Commons photo from Flickr by Shamballah.

Post contributed by Dale Cruse. Cruse is a website developer who is helping to change the wine world. He likes to eat, he likes to drink, and he likes to write about both at Drinks Are On Me.