Limoncello: Lovely, Lemony, Little Bit Lethal

This bright and busy background showcases just how different

limoncello can look depending on the alcohol used.

It's made with vodka on the left and grain alcohol on the right.

Jump to the recipe

When I left Italy in 2002, I packed two coolers full of the delicious Italian food and beverages that I was sure I’d be homesick for once in the United States. I needn’t have worried. Thanks to cooking channels, food blogs, and celebrity chefs, the products I cherished in Italy became not only readily available here but part of the foodie lexicon.

Like limoncello. I had drunk it often as a digestivo, an after-dinner drink said to aid digestion. I can't say what the limoncello actually did for my digestion, but I certainly felt happier after drinking it. It was lemony, sweet, cloudy, and a wee bit lethal.

While it’s now easy to find limoncello in the States, I wanted to make my own. How hard could it be? It's basically lemon peels soaked in clear alcohol for several days or weeks and then mixed with a simple sugar syrup. Turns out, it's easy to make but harder to finesse. I played around with several recipes. I used raw cane sugar and very cheap vodka for my first batch and I ended up with a drink that was slightly beige like nicotine-stained walls, way too sweet, and smelled (and maybe tasted?) like lemon furniture polish. I switched to white granulated sugar and a better brand of vodka. It was good but still too sweet. Plus, I missed that characteristic almost creamy cloudiness of the limoncello in Italy. So, I landed on this: less sugar, more lemons, and grain alcohol rather than vodka.

I now interrupt this regularly written recipe to bring you this important warning: grain alcohol can be 60 - 95% alcohol by volume. It's extremely flammable. And some brands may actually be banned in your State. If you choose grain alcohol (or vodka for that matter), please use it, store it, and drink it responsibly.*

Now that that is out of the way, let's get to the Recipe!

Making limoncello is a simple process but it is a lesson in patience. It takes 8 to 12 days to make. It’ll be worth it!

12 organic lemons, washed and dried

1 bottle (750 ml) of vodka or grain alcohol

3-1/2 cups water

2 cups white granulated sugar

1) Wash a 1500 ml (6-cup) Mason jar or large glass canister in hot water or in the dishwasher and set aside.

2) Using a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips, removing as much of the bitter white pith as possible (thin bits here and there are fine).

You can also use a zester or handheld grater to make the peeling process go faster; however, smaller pieces of peel can result in a drink that is a bit sediment-y (strain it a few times through a fine mesh sieve). Once you remove the peels, set aside the lemons for another use (see below).

You can see how thinly sliced the lemon peels are.

This labor of love results in very little to no white pith!

3) Add the lemon peels to the jar or canister and pour in your alcohol of choice. Cover the mouth of the jar with a piece of cling film not too loose but not too tight either. Store the jar in a cool, dry, and safe place for 7 days away from pets, kids, that friend or relative who has no boundaries, candles, lighters, gas or propane stoves, grills...you get the idea! Each day, take a peek and gently slosh the jar. If the lemon peels start to smell funky or look like they're wearing mold, discard the whole thing and start again.

4) On the seventh day, make a simple syrup: Add the sugar and water to a large pot and gently stir. On medium heat, bring to a simmer. Simmer without stirring for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat, cool for 15 minutes, and then refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes (the goal is a syrup that is no longer hot but not completely chilled either). Pour the syrup over the lemons and alcohol (if you’re using a 1500 ml Mason jar, it will be about an inch from the top) and gently stir. Cover the top of the jar or canister with the cling film and return it to its safe place.

1500 ml Mason jar filled almost to the brim.

You can drink the limoncello the next day; however, I prefer to let the lemons hang out a few days longer to extract as much flavor as possible.

5) This next step works best with an extra set of hands so the limoncello doesn't spill all over. Place a sieve over a large measuring cup (at least 2 quarts), bowl or pitcher. Gently pour the limoncello into the sieve. Discard the peels.

You should end up with two wine bottles (750 ml each) worth of limoncello. You can bottle the limoncello in two stopper-topped wine bottles, Mason jars of various sizes or several small bottles (I give them away as gifts). Whichever glass vessels you use, wash them in hot water or in the dishwasher before filling.

Cover the bottles or jars with their stoppers or lids and store in the refrigerator for up to 9 months.

Serving Suggestions:

1) Mix a few tablespoons of white sugar (regular or sanding sugar that has larger crystals) with lemon zest. Or if you can find lemon sugar from Amalfi, use that! Lightly rub the rim of a rocks or wine glass with lemon juice or water, dip it into the lemon sugar until well-coated, and fill the glass halfway with the limoncello. Add an ice cube or a few frozen raspberries or blueberries. Sip and enjoy life!

2) Add a few splashes of limoncello to your favorite cheesecake recipe.

3) Use a splash of limoncello as the sweet component of a homemade lemon vinaigrette.

4) Limoncello is delicious poured over lemon, lime, vanilla, mint, pomegranate, blueberry or raspberry gelato, ice cream or sorbet!

5) Kick up sangria.

6) "Correct" your coffee: to your espresso--and remember just how tiny a shot of espresso actually is--add a splash of limoncello. Don't add a shot. It would taste weird ("incorrect coffee"?) and you just might commune with the dead afterwards!

7) Make Sgroppino! It's frothy and creamy and all of the delicious instructions are in my post Sgroppino: Venice's Lemon "Milkshake" for Adults. By the way, sgroppino is even more delicious than limoncello!

What to do with 12 naked lemons:

1) Literally make lemonade:

Juice 6 of the lemons and strain into a 2-quart pitcher. Make a simple syrup with ¾ to 1 cup (I prefer it less sweet but go with your tastes) granulated white sugar to 1-1/2 cups water. Bring the sugar and water to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool for ½ hour. Pour the simple syrup over the lemon juice and stir. Fill the pitcher to the maximum fill line with cold water. Stir and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before drinking.

2) Juice and strain the lemons and store the juice covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Add the juice to your water, vinaigrettes, Tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce), marinades (vegetables, lamb or chicken), Chicken Piccata, Greek Avogolemono Soup (chicken lemon rice soup) or as a burst of brightness to lentil soups, beans, and cooked greens.

Or fill up ice cube trays with the lemon juice. Once the juice is frozen, pop the cubes into a zip-top freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 6 months.

3) Make lemon sorbet or granita (lemon ice).

*If you make my recipe and something goes awry, you agree to hold harmless and indemnify Syndy Sweeney and T. Rex & the Rabbit Foods, LLC.