Vigilant Meerkat has asked for this recipe. It was given to me by a lovely woman from Tuscany who was the non nonsense cook in my favorite Italian eatery in Sydney. As we used to order a shot of it after meals, she graciously offered the recipe, which is now yours. It is somewhat complicated but the effort spent into making this will earn you many kudos.
In Italy, it is usually served after dinner. You will find locally made Limoncello in Sorrento (near the Amalfi coast) and in Liguria. Both of these areas grow the lemons used to create the Limoncello. If you want to have the taste of Italy at home, try this recipe.
Please note that this is a very detailed recipe for those who have never tackled liqueur making before. Many Limoncello recipes are much simpler and faster. You will need the following:
1 bottle (750 ml) Everclear
1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
20 organic lemons
4 cups sugar
4 cups water
Wash the lemons in hot water and clean with vegetable wash (organic and nontoxic) and scrub vigorously.
Rinse. Lemon peels are how you create the drink’s flavor and color, so it is important that the lemons are clean. You need to remove this wax as much as possible before you peel the lemons.
Peel the lemons (retaining the peels for later) being sure not to peel any of the white part under the peel, otherwise known as pith (that’s the bitter part, you don’t want that).
Peeling is another key step. It is very easy to get the pith when peeling. You’ll inevitably get some while you’re peeling, but if you keep it at a minimum, you should be OK. The pith creates a bitter finish to the Limoncello that you want to avoid. Use a super sharp, large-size vegetable peeler to get the peels off. Keep the peel in long strips to make it easier when you strain later. You can use a sharp knife if you’re not afraid of losing a thumb.
Put the lemon peels in a large glass container with the vodka and Everclear (the higher alcohol content of Everclear prevents it from being diluted to the point where it freezes, because when you’re finished with making this, the best place to store it is the freezer!)
Swirl the lemon peel and alcohol mixture together daily in the jar.
This step can last for as little as two weeks or up to four months.
The longer you leave the peels in contact with the alcohol, the more yellow and lemony your Limoncello will be. After two weeks, you’ll likely get a Limoncello as good as anything you can buy in a store for $20 or so.
After you get to the point where you’re ready to finish the Limoncello, remove the bigger peels with a slotted spoon.
If you want to be especially frugal with your mixture remove the peels to another container so that the “drippings” can be poured back into the larger container.
Once you’ve removed the bigger peels, you need to strain the entire mixture through coffee filters to remove as many of the impurities as possible. You can do this by putting the filters into funnels and straining that way. Note: If you pre-wet the filters with water, they won’t absorb as much of the liquor mixture, reducing waste.
Meanwhile, you can be working on the sugar syrup. Mix the sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let boil for at least 5 minutes (I tried to infuse some vanilla once, it wasn’t a bad idea, but not for purists!)
Let syrup cool to room temperature, then combine with lemon-alcohol mixture.
At this point you can bottle using funnels. You should ideally let the Limoncello macerate for a week in the bottle before consuming, but no one’s going to bark at you if you’re going to have a “sneak preview”.
If you’re serious that you’re going to be making Limoncello, start collecting bottles, especially interesting, decorative ones. Limoncello makes a great gift. If you want to stretch your Limoncello stash and still spread the love & understanding (I’m still a hippie at heart), get miniature decorative bottles with swivel tops. No, the rule is that when you have actually made some, and it tastes great, that’s when you decide to send a wee bottle to AAF!
Tags: Italy, Lemon liquor, Limoncello, Recipe
15 Comments
Now I expect some of you to make this and report.
Tomorrow’s recipe will be AAF’s take on that very old standard, Spaghetti Marinara.
Can we sneak preview it completely by taking a shot of Everclear, a shot of vodka, and then just bite into an unpeeled lemon?
Thanks!
What does it taste like exactly - other than lemon liqueur - when finished and how does that change depending on the time in between steps?
Thanks Hedwig.
I am going with your suggestion.
Minus the Everclear, it taste like, well, pure alcohol. Gimme a shot of vodka anytime though.
Hedwig: It’s tastes like a very alcoholic lemon slushy. Very refreshing and wonderful. Of course, our first taste of it was in the Liguria region of Italy, so we were drinking the real things. I’ve tried purchasing various brands here, and have had it as an after dinner drink at various Italian restaurants, but none of it has ever come close to the real thing, which is what AAF has given us here.
it tastes, well, like lemon liqueur. Th longer you keep the whole thing macerating, the better the result. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.
“You need to remove this wax as much as possible before you peel the lemons.”
This was my mistake as I mention in MF. I rinsed the lemons but I’m sure the remaining wax prevented the lemon oil in the peels from being fully expressed. I’m going to try again!
This sounds wonderful, AAF. I think it is the same recipe I got from the proprietors of the Caffe Medusa. They were quite insistent about the “right kind” of lemon, but I’m not sure we can get them here. I still have the bottle of Everclear we bought when we got back from Italy but never got around to using before I misplaced the recipe. I’m definitely going to try it. I might have to toss some stuff from the freezer (it’s smallish) in order to accomodate the macerating. What size glass container would be good for the first stage of this?
You’d have to use as many 750 ml bottles according to the amount you are making.
I can help VM.
-It only needs to go in the freezer after you’ve strained it added the simple syrup and bottled it. Keep the bottle in the freezer for optimal refreshment.
-I used one of those cheap Sun Tea gallon containers to make my limoncello. It has a spigot on the bottom.
-I kept the macerating limoncello on the counter and gave it a shake every day. No need to refrigerate it as it’s brewing.
Ah, that’s good to know. I’ll have to look for one of those containers, but a gallon jug would probably work. Thanks, DM.
When I made mine in Sydney, I used a large vinegar bottle and refrigerated it, occasionally shaking it. If my memory serves me well, it took me at least 6 weeks to get really good results.
And thank you, AAF. You’ve never let me down on my requests and I appreciate that.
This is substantially similar to the standard recipe I use for all my experiments on my limoncello blog (www.limoncelloquest.com), except the simple syrup mixture here will produce a somewhat more dense limoncello. I’ve found that using 100 proof vodka instead of everclear is a crowd pleaser, though it’s not for purists.
I had a look at your site. That’s dedication! I once toyed with the given recipe and added half a bottle of Cointreau for fun, towards the end. Tasted great but not for purists either!
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