Making Limoncello Liqueur From Scratch
By LaniK
What is Limoncello?
Limoncello (pronounced lee-muhn-CHELL-oh) is a liqueur from southern Italy made with lemons, vodka, water, and sugar. It's served ice cold in tiny, thin glasses as an after dinner aperitif, or digestivo. Only the zest is used to make this delicious drink. It has no bitterness at all, in fact, it is most refreshing!
Lemon Peels in Vodka
Recipe to Make Limoncello
10 lemons, just peels, no pith (I've seen anywhere from 8-17 in various recipes)
3 ½ cups sugar (This amount is entirely up to you. You may prefer it more or less sweet.)
3 cups water
3 cups vodka
1.) Don't worry about getting too picky about your lemon zest, the syrup that you'll be mixing in later will disguise any minor bitterness brought by a little pith.
2.) Pour the vodka over your peels. This part isn't precise, your basically marinating here. Every recipe is different with regards to this. Lemons are strong, they won't let you down.
3.) Let this sit for at least a week. They won't turn bad in the high-alcohol environs of the vodka.
4.) When the vodka smells refreshing and citrus-y and you're ready to make the syrup, boil the water and sugar (stirring to prevent any sugar scorching on the bottom of the pan.). Reduce this to a simmer, dissolving to a thin syrup. Set this aside to cool.
5.) Strain the vodka from the peels. Dry or compost your peels. Julienned and dried, you may yet use them in myriad recipes.
6.) Stir together the lemon-flavored vodka with the cooled syrup. Bottle and age for a few more weeks.
Cocktail Recipes With Limoncello
Sperone Sunrise
1 1/2 oz. Limoncello
3 oz. Orange Juice
Serve over ice with a dash of grenadine syrup.
Limoncello Ice Cream
3 Cups Good Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 cup Limoncello
Blend and serve. Garnish with lemon zest.
Cherry Lemonade
1 1/2 oz. Limoncello
1 1/2 oz. Cherry Vodka
2 oz. Lemon Sour
Shake and serve over ice.
Lady Cello
1 oz. Limoncello
1 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Sugar
1 tsp. Grenadine
Shake with ice. Serve with sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with cherry.
Limoncello Baba
8 cups Flour
4 cups Butter
12 Eggs
1/2 cup Honey
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Corn Syrup
1 cup Limoncello
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix all the ingredients, (except for the syrup and the limoncello) into a smooth batter. Pour this mix into 12 cupcake papers. Bake for 25 minutes. Mix the syrup and the limoncello together. Soak the cupcakes. Serve these chilled. Serves twelve.
Trying Other Options
Vodka is a neutral-base alcohol. The strength is mostly up to the individual. Most recipes call for between 80-100 proof. It doesn't interfere with the flavors that you may wish to infuse for your liqueur. Steeping is the process that infuses the flavors that you're looking for. And filtering removes the solids. Finally, you just make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water. Cool this down and stir it in to your lovely new spirits. Funnel this into sterilized, pretty bottles, let it mellow a couple of months, et Voilà! You have liqueur!
I had some vodka left after pouring it over my lemon peels. I had a small yield this year with my plum tree, (after two amazing years of fruit!) so I opted to pit a few into a jar and pour the vodka that was left over these. These took a bit longer to steep than did the lemon peels, but in time they emited a lovely, rich, fruity smell. Next time I may add a clove or ginger root and a slice of apple, or a vanilla bean and a lemon peel. I may be onto a great gift idea.
Experiment with fruits, herbs, and spices. Fill your jars or bottles with fruit, but take it slow, perhaps, with your spices. Keep notes and refer to these as you may or may not wish to keep, or tweak a recipe.
This recipe would be delicious with orange peels or lime peels. Think of an orange-vanilla combination, or lime-mango-mint. The possibilites are fun and refeshing to think about, and people will be asking for more of your delightful liqueurs year after year!
Comments
Thank you, Mr. Bobbitt - much appreciated!
What lovely old Mason jars. I can totally see you sitting on the porch on a hot summer night, sipping cool liqueur directly from the jar. :)
You know, Konza, I do enjoy these old jars. I keep everything from nuts, to rice, to dried fruits in them. They're pretty, and easier than the bags from the bulk section. I've learned that you can write on glass with Sharpie, and it wipes off with alcohol. A good idea for identifying bulk grains.
Wow, this sounds so good... and it looks gorgeous in the bottles! This would make for an excellent gift. I should have a go at making some! Thanks for the excellent Hub.
All the best, Simone! I plan to give some as gifts, and make orange-cello, clementine-cello, and lime-cello on other occassions. I have since read about steeping herbs to add to the flavoring (rosemary, lemon verbena) - Im looking into this....
Damm good recipe...I'm off to do my batch. Thanks
Enjoy, Luis! It is delish!
Looks great! I've made limoncello at home, too, but I've found that it takes more like a good year for the taste to mellow out enough to become quaffable (it just tastes too harsh before then). But it's totally worth the wait!
Wow, this looks yummy even if I am not a vodka drinker. :D You made me want to have a sip!
Congratulations Lanik on your Hubnuggets nomination! To view the Hubpages Hubnuggets program for this week, just follow me: http://enellelamb.hubpages.com/_hubnuggets6/hub/Wh Be sure to read and vote!
Thank you livelonger and ripplemaker! I'll need to see if I can keep one of mine for a year in order to mellow it. I mixed mine & it was delish. Very lemony, which I loved!
Ripplemaker, I'm a tonic fan, so the vodka, mixed with water & sugar, mixed with tonic is wonderful with the nice lemon flavor. Thank you so much for the congrats! I'm clicking onto your link now...
Congrats on your Hubnugget nomination!
Thank you, Shawn! Very exciting!
I will definately be coming back to this hub when my lemon tree is full of lemons. I have tried commercially made limoncello and it is delicious. Thank you for the recipe and all the info.
What a lovely simple recipe! I enjoy signing in to hubpages, you never know what gem you will find, today it was your page. Really nicely illustrated and something I can try. Thanks!
This will sure save a lot of money!
Great hub, great recipe! Congratulations on Hub of the Day and thanks for sharing this with us. Being from an Italian family I've had my fair share of Limoncello over the years, on the odd occasion I've had more than my fair share! But it's great to see a simple recipe for it. I shall be going out later to buy some ingredients, I wonder if I can make some in time for New Year!
Thanks again.
Congratulations on Hub of the Day. Great looking pictures.
Congrats on your hub of the day LaniK! I always wondered about limoncello, awesome hub!
There is a Chines Restaurant in Bangalore where they serve drinks with a topping of white cream,when asked he said it is Liqueur.Is he right?.
This seems to be so simple to make that even my husband could make it...and he can't make anything if food is involved. I am bookmarking this page to enable a bit of 'joint' moonshining! Great hub,voted up etc,etc.
I think you have just turned me into an alcoholic. I cant wait to try this. It really is a cool idea. voted up!
What a great hub. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Will definitely give it a try.
I have GOT to try this! I love making liqueurs, and these recipes look so easy and delicious! I love the photographs of the limoncello liqueur! Voted up! Bookmarked, too. Wouldn't they make great Christmas gifts!
Welcome to Hubpages! This was a great article and I found it to be very unique. I have never done anything like this. I will eventually try it out! Thanks.
Interesting recipe! Sounds easy enough and very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
What a great idea for Holiday gifts. I was wondering about using sugar substitutes. I usually substitute agave nectar and/or stevia. I bet that wouldn't work . . . I will try it with sugar first. Voted UP. Cograts on your award.
Congratulations on Hub of the Day! What a great accomplishment for a relative newcomer to Hub Pages! I wish you all the best here. HP is a great community of helpful and friendly writers.
This sounds delicious! Your instructions are clear, and your photos are great!
Although I've read it too late for this holiday giving season, I'm definitely bookmarking it for the future, and you have a new follower.
Voted up, awesome, interesting and useful.
I wish I had seen this earlier for gift giving this year, but I will certainly be making some for myself. I have to try if out before I give it, right?
Congratulations on hub of the day, and welcome to hubpages. This truly is a great place to be.
This looks delicious and refreshing. Congratulations on being the hub of the day! Well deserved.
Voted up useful and interesting, my wife's family married into Italians and they keep these traditions alive and all make lemonchello.
Now I have your recipe I will make some and surprise them with my concoction. Thanks for a great hub.
Love this hub you have prompted me to have a go...
ps, do you mean a 'before dinner' Aperitif.
Wow, wow, wow! Bookmarking this one for sure. I love cello. Congrats!
Wow I love this hub! I just got back from Italy and I had the opportunity to taste "real" limoncello. I look forward to trying this out and seeing if I can make anything close to what I tasted in Italy lol. Voting up!
Thanks for this!!! I always wondered how this was done and now I have the correct proportions.
Thank you, all! This really is very easy to make. Mark your 2012 calendar in October so that you're ready for giving next Christmas. Only, I must warn you, there's a danger of drinking anothers' gifts!
I'm not sure about the sugar substitutes, that's a great question. I encourage a bit of research into stevia and heat, as well as alcohol and keeping. Perhaps some experimentation might be in order.
I'm afraid I don't know what they serve in the Chinese restaurant in Bangalore, but it sounds delicious!
Signing off, in a shade of green over the lemon tree...
Congrats on Hub of the Day. Great ideas. I bought a towel that had the recipe on it, but haven't tried it yet. Yours looks more delicious, so I'll have to try it.
Great writeup and pictures! I made limoncello a year and a half ago, and it is still mellowing out in vodka bottles in my cellar. It tasted way too harsh when I first bottled it, and is only now becoming potable. I might give it a few more years, but I've thought about diluting it with lemon juice, too.
I've also made green walnut liqueur using a similar method (made a Hub on it), and actually prefer the warm, spicy taste of that. If you have access to green walnuts in late spring, give it a try!
I have been wanting to make flavored vodka, and this recipe is perfect. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sounds really good. Does quality vodka make it smoother? I would think inexpensive stuff might taste harsh-- and take longer to mellow out. What do you use?
Terrific! Thanks!
I've wondered how to do this since that sappy movie (which I LOVED) about Tuscany!
Thanks and good luck everyone!
MMMMMM. Bookmarking this...limoncello icecream! Colourful and delicious hub! Divine....I want to have go at making this too. Seems to be a lot of us interested...lol
Voted up, useful, awesome & beautiful...You are an angel!
Wow, I don't drink anymore, but I sure could consider beginning again if drinks as yummy sounding as this can be made! Voted up and wish I had one now!
This is great! Voted up and I am going to follow you. I'll have to try this soon.
really this is all it takes to win hub of the day, I might as well put a meth recipe on here and see what happens
A place I go to every year, Sorrento in Italy, is famous for this stuff, offering the tourists as they pass by, free samplers from many of the stores, getting them drunk enough to buy! (although I can now buy it locally in Vancouver, Canada). It's great stuff though, we always have a few shooters of this after dinner when I'm over there, and your'e right, it isn't bitter, but it does get you nice and drunk though. Never thought of making my own, maybe I will at some point now I know how.
This is my favorite liquor. I love lemon drop martini's.YUM!! Gosh they charge so much for this liquor...something like 21.00 per bottle. The only brand I like is the Caravello one...
This looks so delicious! Can't wait to tryit. Voted up!
Congratulations of Hub of the Day. Reminds me of when we used to make homemade beer. I just might try this.
Congrats on your hub of the day. This sounds like a drink a few of my family members would like. I will have to bookmark your recipe and give it to them. Thanks for sharing it!
Hi Lanik, thanks for such a delicious liquere recipe. I am going to make this. Bottoms up! Voted up and awesome.
Cogratulations on making hub of the day! Limoncello tastes delicious and now thanks to you I know how to make it. Will be bookmarking this hub. Thanks!
This looks awesome. I love stuff that has to age, and I have a feeling this may be more popular even than my fruitcake :)
I love Lemoncello and I'll be trying this!
Thanks for all your comments! Even you, Kurant82. Although, you'll forgive me for deleting your second comment, the one with the recipe. Do feel free to write your own tutorial, however.
We do have walnut trees here, and next spring I'll be looking up your recipe, livelonger! That sounds wonderful! I love the smell of green walnuts!
Ms. Frank, I used a mid-priced vodka, mostly because I couldn't afford the high-end stuff. You propose a good question, to which I can only answer that, as far as I've discovered, experimenting is the best way to find out. Perhaps next year I might try two batches, same recipe with two different price ranges of vodka.
Im off to bookmark a certain green walnut recipe...
Congrats on Hub of the Day! I've always wanted to know how to make this. Bookmarked : )
No wonder this is the hub of the day! It's so wonderful and I just love the luscious pictures.
This is a great idea for a gift. I'll bookmark and have the limoncello ready for next years holidays.
Thank you for sharing this and Congratulations!
Well this is not a bad recipe for lemoncello however if you do want to make a more traditional recipe I would suggest you use grain alcohol. let the peels sit in the grain alcohol for a month. Then make your simple syrup and and combine it. It is important to keep the lemon peel and grain alcohol in a dark place to minimize the sun exposure.
This looks awesome! Will definitely try this soon!
I love the photos, and I'm excited about trying the recipe but I have a question: are you giving the limoncello as gifts in the mason jars (very beautiful)...or are you bottling it in a different bottle (with or without the peels)? Would your bottle need to be corked airtight? Thank you for sharing with us!
I think that's a great question, Ahnoosh. I have saved glass jars from maple syrup, olive oil, and soy sauce. I bleach-wash them well, rinsed completely, and use these. I also use the tops that come with the jars, after washing them well. Of course, I remove the labels, too. They come off nicely with soaking, and some hot water and soap. I don't bottle the peels with the liqueur. I do like using my old Mason jars here, at home, however.
excellent hub, great pictures, can't wait to try this on my own. thanks for taking the time to put together this excellent page of information.
Don Bobbitt 7 months ago
Voted UP and I am now follower. Great lemoncello recipe and I like your writing goal of providing savings for others. Good luck with your Hub career.