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Limoncello (lemon liqueur)

The Amalfi Coast in an electric-yellow bottle. The zest infuses in vodka for a month, and out comes a digestif that holds the light of southern Italy in concentrate.

Limoncello is a traditional liqueur of southern Italy (Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi), obtained by long maceration of lemon zest in a neutral alcohol, then sweetened with syrup. The essential oils of the zest (very rich in limonene) diffuse into the alcohol and give it its intense yellow colour and its incomparable scent. Served ice-cold after dinner, it's one of the simplest digestifs to make at home, provided you have the month of patience the maceration requires.

Ingredients

  • Large, well-yellow lemons

    ORGANIC IS ESSENTIAL, the zest is the soul of limoncello and concentrates pesticides if there are any

    5 lemons
  • Neutral vodka

    standard-quality vodka; you can also use 40% vol. fruit spirit, or diluted Everclear for purists

    1 L
  • White caster sugar
    200 g
  • Spring water
    42.5 cl (425 ml)

Equipment

  • •1 precise peeler or zester
  • •1 large 1.5 L glass jar with a mechanical (swing-top) seal
  • •1 large pan for the syrup
  • •1 very fine muslin or cheesecloth for the final filtering
  • •Tinted glass bottles (green or amber) with airtight stoppers

Steps

  1. 1

    Prepare the lemons

    Soak the lemons overnight in cold water to soften and clean the peel. The next day, scrub them vigorously under water to remove any trace of wax or dust, then wipe them.

    1 night + 5 min

  2. 2

    Zest (the most critical step)

    With a peeler, take the yellow zest of the 5 lemons, ABSOLUTELY NOT taking the white skin (pith). The white would make the limoncello bitter and cloudy. Take your time: it's the step that determines the final quality of the result. Keep the flesh to make a dessert or another lemonade.

    20 min

  3. 3

    Maceration in alcohol

    Put all the zest in the large jar. Pour the vodka in until it completely covers it. Close airtight. Place in a cupboard away from light. Shake the jar hard 1 to 2 times a week. You'll see the vodka take on an increasingly intense yellow hue, until it becomes almost golden.

    1 month minimum (up to 2 months for an optimal result)

  4. 4

    Prepare the syrup

    When finalising: dissolve the sugar in the water in a pan. Bring to a simmer and let it boil 1 minute to dissolve well. Remove from the heat and LET IT COOL COMPLETELY (at least 2 hours). Crucial: never add hot syrup to the alcohol maceration, the alcohol would evaporate and the limoncello would lose its strength.

    10 min + 2 h cooling

  5. 5

    Assemble

    Add the cold syrup to the alcohol infusion in the jar. Shake well to homogenise. The colour will become lighter and the volume will increase.

    5 min

  6. 6

    Filter and bottle

    Filter everything through a very fine muslin (a cloth coffee filter is ideal) over a large funnel. You can filter twice for a nicely clear limoncello. Transfer into tinted glass bottles and close airtight.

    30 min

Storage

Several years in a cool, dark place (strong alcohol + sugar = almost eternal; in light, the flavonoids oxidise). Best kept in the freezer (the liqueur doesn't freeze at -18 °C, but becomes oily and sublime to drink). Once opened, it can keep for months.

How to use it

Always served ICE-COLD (straight from the freezer) in very small liqueur glasses (3-4 cl), at the end of a meal as a digestif. Also delicious: over vanilla ice cream (1 tbsp), in a tiramisu (replacing the marsala), as a flavouring in a pastry cream, in a summer cocktail with prosecco (sgroppino).

Health properties

  • Limonene and other terpenes of the zest (end-of-meal digestion is the traditional justification for limoncello)
  • Flavonoids of the lemon partly preserved
  • To be regarded above all as a Mediterranean cultural and gastronomic pleasure, not a health drink

These preparations belong to cooking and herbal tradition: they nourish and support, do not “cure” anything and replace no treatment. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before prolonged use, if under treatment, pregnant or breastfeeding, or for a child. Follow the stated storage precautions strictly.

Precautions

STRONGLY ALCOHOLIC LIQUEUR (28 to 32% vol.), not intended for minors, pregnant/breastfeeding women, people in abstinence, or people on medical treatment incompatible with alcohol. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for health, to be consumed in moderation. ORGANIC LEMONS ARE ESSENTIAL: the long maceration concentrates any pesticides on the zest. Very sugary too (approx. 20% final sugar).

Sources & tradition

  • · Tradition of the Costiera Amalfitana (Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi)
  • · Protected geographical indication *Limone di Sorrento* PGI
  • · *L'autosuffisance, c'est possible !* (Cherche-Midi)

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