Simple Limoncello Recipe
This sweet Italian liqueur takes a little time—and a lot of lemons.
Mar 10, 2009
In the film "Under the Tuscan Sun" Diane Lane is handed a cool glass of sunshine-colored liquid—"Limoncello," her handsome companion informs her in that charming Italian lilt.
Limoncello, a syrupy sweet lemon liqueur, hails from southern Italy. In the early 19th century, isle of Capri inn owner Vincenza Canale concocted the liqueur as a post-meal digestive. The family soon began bottling the popular lemon drink.
While it's gotten mentions in literature and film, Danny deVito attributed his hangover to limoncello in a 2006 appearance on "The View," further introducing the beverage into the American mainstream.
Though commercial bottles can sometimes be found in grocery stores, making Limoncello is easy. Like a lolling Italian holiday, the only thing needed to make limoncello is time.
This recipe is extra sweet and potent, so if you want a little less sweet, adjust accordingly. It's best to use a higher-proof vodka; the higher proof has less flavor. The recipe can be used with other citrus as well-oranges, limes, etc., but you may adjust the sweetness of your batch based on the type of fruit.
Once you zest the lemons, you'll have 15 lemons without skin. Rather than letting them go to waste, go ahead and juice the lemons. Either bottle the juice, make lemonade, a nice lemon curd or simply use the juice for cooking.
Simple Limoncello
- 15 lemons
- 2 bottles (750 ml) 100-proof vodka or grain alcohol
- 4 cups sugar
- 5 cups water
Wash and dry the lemons.
Zest lemons, making sure not to get the pith.
Add one bottle of vodka and the zest to a 1-gallon glass jar.
Let sit 10 to 45 days.
Store the jar in a cool, dry place and don't leave near sunlight.
The longer the zest sits in the vodka, the more vibrant the color of the liquid.
Step 2 (After 10 to 45 days):
Combine sugar and water in a pan and cook until thickened to make a simple syrup. Let this mixture cool and add to the limoncello mixture.
Add the additional bottle of vodka in and leave it alone for 10 to 45 days.
Step 3 (After an additional 10 to 45 days):
When done aging, strain out the lemon zest and bottle the limoncello. It's easiest to save old glass liquor bottles and clean them thoroughly before bottling.
Keep the limoncello in the freezer and serve icy cold.
While this vibrant yellow Italian liqueur is a nice, palate-cleansing aperitif, here are some other uses for limoncello:
- Add to a vodka tonic for an additional kick.
- Mix limoncello in with a fresh mint mojito to make a lemon mint mojito.
- Pour over sorbet or make a lemon sorbet.
- Add to lemonade.
- Pour over pound cake.
- Pour over fresh fruit.
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