Limoncello Recipe: How to Make the Delicious Italian Liqueur

This limoncello recipe is a simple step-by-step guide to making your own limoncello at home! All you need is lemons, grain alcohol, sugar, water and lots of time!

Limoncello at home. It’s quite easy to make – the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready! The whole process takes two months total, between infusing the alcohol with lemon peels and letting it rest once it has been bottled.

But the wait is worth it, because in the end, you’ll end up with a beautiful, sweet, tart and refreshing liqueur that will transport you straight to the shores of the Amalfi coast (or one can dream anyway!)

Origins

Limoncello originated in Italy, specifically in the Amalfi coast, in the Campania region. The first recipes for limoncello appeared in cookbooks in the early 1900’s.

They say that on the island of Capri, a lady named Maria Antonia Farace that ran a small inn, was famous for her limoncello (a recipe from her nonna).

People would go to her inn to drink her limoncello because it was so good. Later, her great grandson, Massimo Canale, started an artisanal production of limoncello, and registered its mark. Massimo was the one to bring limoncello to a global stage and help it gain the popularity it has today.

But apparently limoncello goes back further than that, to the times of Pompeii at least, or even further back.

Ingredients:

• Lemon peels
• Grain alcohol
• Water
• Sugar

Basic steps:

There are three fundamental steps when it comes to making any limoncello recipe:

1. Infuse the alcohol with lemons
2. Filtering the infused alcohol after a period of time (I recommend 30 days)
3. Mixing the infused alcohol together with a simple syrup

How to make limoncello – step by step

Wash the lemons by scrubbing them with the rough side of a sponge. Dry them with a paper towel or tea towel (photo 1)

Peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler, taking extra care to not leave too much pith (the white part of the lemon skin) on the peel. Too much pith will make the limoncello bitter (photo 2)

Add the lemon peels to a large glass jar with a lid. Add the grain alcohol to the jar (photo 3)

Store the jar in a cool dark place out of direct light (like a closet). Let the alcohol infuse for 30 days. Every few days, shake the mixture up a bit so the lemon peels move around (photo 4)

Once the 30 days are over, prepare the simple syrup. Place the water in a pot and heat it over low heat. Once the water is slightly warm, add in the sugar, stir and let it dissolve completely. Once the sugar is dissolved, let the mixture cool completely to room temperature (a few hours) (photo 5)

Once the simple syrup has cooled, prepare a sieve with a coffee filter or cheese cloth inside. Place it over a large bowl and strain the alcohol-lemon peel mixture into the bowl, so that only the liquid collects in the bowl (photo 6)

Add the simple syrup to the infused alcohol (it will go slightly cloudy) and stir with a wooden spoon. You now have limoncello! (photo 7)

With the help of a funnel, pour the limoncello into bottles (photo 8)

Let the limoncello rest in a cool dry place out of direct light for 30 days (photo 9)

Alcohol to use:

The best alcohol to use when making homemade limoncello is grain alcohol. Grain alcohol is a neutral spirit that has been fermented twice, derived from fermenting grain. It’s basically pure alcohol.

There are two main types of grain alcohol brands that I’ve come across: Everclear and Clear Spring. Both will work well in this recipe.

Grain alcohol is considered pure alcohol because it’s 95% alcohol (190 proof).

Using vodka:

In some states or Canadian provinces, it’s not easy to find grain alcohol, so a non potato vodka can be used instead. Vodka has a different flavor than grain alcohol so you will end up with a bit of a different flavor.

Different grades of grain alcohol:

Grain alcohol comes in different grades. They type of grade you find will depend on where you live. Like mentioned earlier, the 95% alcohol (190 proof) grain alcohol is the best to use for limoncello.

But if you can only find 75% (151 proof) grain alcohol, that will work too. The difference when using a 151 proof grain alcohol is that the final flavor won’t be as strong. And if you put the limoncello in the freezer, it may freeze (a limoncello made using 190 proof grain alcohol won’t freeze). Because it may freeze, the limoncello made with 75% grain alcohol may be better to store in the fridge rather than the refrigerator.

How to store limoncello:

Limoncello can be stored in bottles (glass or plastic) at room temperature in a cool, dry place away from direct light. I like to use old liqueur bottles, or glass IKEA bottles. Plastic bottles work too.

But when almost ready to drink, since limoncello is meant to be served ice cold, it should be stored in the freezer for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. Many people just keep the limoncello stashed in their freezer (space permitting) so that it’s cold any time you’d like to drink it.

How long it will last:

Limoncello will keep at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 1 year or more.

How to drink/serve:

Limoncello is meant to be served ice cold. As mentioned, keep it in the freezer until ready to serve so that it’s as cold as it can be.

The most classic way to drink it is on its own, in a shot glass. Even though it’s served in a shot glass, limoncello is meant to be sipped. There’s no need to add ice to it if you’ve kept it in the freezer.

In fact, in Italy, there are special limoncello glasses. They are frosted yellow and come on little cute serving plates that are decorated with lemons. You can find them in many home stores or at the local outdoor markets.

What to make with limoncello:

While homemade limoncello is great on its own, here are some other things you can do with it:

• Make a limoncello cake
• Make a limoncello tiramisu
• Make a limoncello cocktail

Top tips:

• It’s best to use organic lemons. Organic lemons are not treated and coated with wax. This is especially important since limoncello uses just the peels.
• When peeling the lemons, try to not peel the pith (white part) as well. If the pith comes off with the peel, I use a knife to scrape it off. Getting too much pith in your limoncello will make it bitter.
• Infusion times vary between limoncello recipes. I suggest a 30 day infusion time, but some people infuse for as little as 7 days, or up to 2 months. A shorter infusion time will make the limoncello lighter and milder.
• Once the limoncello has infused and been bottled, it should rest for another 30 days. This rest time allows the flavors to meld together and smoothen out. If you drink it right away, the flavors haven’t had time to settle.
• You can use any bottle when bottling limoncello. Glass bottles work well, and so does plastic. Any lid is fine too (cork, plastic etc). If however you are freezing it, a cork lid might not work the best since it expands when frozen.

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