The three Italian southern regions, Sorento, Amalfi, and Capri, are part of an eternal dispute about where exactly limoncello was invented. Real limoncello can only be made from lemons grown on the Sorrentine Peninsula, as it is a gastronomic heritage of Italy and is protected by a special quality mark. I suggest that you make a variant of this liqueur, its taste will largely depend on the lemons that you get. It is especially pleasant to drink limoncello from ice glasses on a hot day, for example, as Italians when they finish a meal with it, so that a refreshingly delightful taste remains in the mouth for a long time.
The three Italian southern regions, Sorento, Amalfi, and Capri, are part of an eternal dispute about where exactly limoncello was invented. Real limoncello can only be made from lemons grown on the Sorrentine Peninsula, as it is a gastronomic heritage of Italy and is protected by a special quality mark. I suggest that you make a variant of this liqueur, its taste will largely depend on the lemons that you get. It is especially pleasant to drink limoncello from ice glasses on a hot day, for example, as Italians when they finish a meal with it, so that a refreshingly delightful taste remains in the mouth for a long time.- Prep time: 10 minutes + 2 weeks’ steeping
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Makes: 1 bottle
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: drink
- Cookware: bottle 1 litre, lemon zester
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 3 lemons
- 500 ml vodka
- 350 g sugar
- 450 ml water
Cooking method
Step 1
Peel zest from the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a glass jar and pour over the vodka. Cover and in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain the tincture, squeezing out the zest well.
Step 2
Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar, put on medium heat and bring to boil. Simmer syrup until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove syrup from heat and let cool.
Step 3
Mix well the tincture with the sugar syrup. Pour into a bottle. Store limoncello in the freezer.
My tips and tricks:
For limoncello, we use organic lemons, as there should be nothing superfluous on the zest. If your lemons are not organic, they may be coated with wax, which will increase their shelf life. Then this wax must be removed: pour boiling water over the lemons, and then rinse them under running hot water using a brush.
Do you only love cream liqueurs? Great, we make Crema di Limoncello (creamy limoncello): add 350ml double cream when the liqueur is ready and mix well. Didn’t find organic lemons but met oranges? Great, make Crema di Orancello: replace 3 lemons with 2 oranges, don’t forget to add the cream and, as they say in Italy, “tutto fatto”, you’re done!
- 3 lemons
- 500 ml vodka
- 350 g sugar
- 450 ml water
- Peel zest from the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a glass jar and pour over the vodka. Cover and in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, strain the tincture, squeezing out the zest well.
- Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar, put on medium heat and bring to boil. Simmer syrup until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove syrup from heat and let cool.
- Mix well the tincture with the sugar syrup. Pour into a bottle. Store limoncello in the freezer.
Do you only love cream liqueurs? Great, we make Crema di Limoncello (creamy limoncello): add 350ml double cream when the liqueur is ready and mix well. Didn't find organic lemons but met oranges? Great, make Crema di Orancello: replace 3 lemons with 2 oranges, don't forget to add the cream and, as they say in Italy, “tutto fatto”, you're done!