Italian Limoncello Recipes

TRADITIONAL ITALIAN LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Zest lemons, making sure to get the outermost part of the skin and avoid the white pith.
• Place lemon zest in a glass bowl and cover with alcohol. Cover and let infuse at room temperature until yellowish in color, about 7 days.
• Bring water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Pour alcohol into the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer; discard lemon zest. Stir well.
• Pour limoncello into thick, freezer-safe glass bottles. Store in the freezer for at least 2 weeks before serving.

ITALIAN LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Combine alcohol and lemon zest in a 1-gallon jug with a tight-fitting lid. Place in a cool, dark place to rest for 1 month. Swirl contents of the jug every few days.
• Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Set simple syrup aside to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.
• While simple syrup is cooling, place a sieve over a large bowl and line with coffee filters. Strain alcohol mixture through coffee filters to remove all sediment. Replace the filters as needed until all the mixture has been filtered. Filter one more time to ensure all sediment has been removed. Discard coffee filters and zest.
• Add enough simple syrup to the alcohol mixture to reach the desired alcohol-by-volume percentage; refer to an alcohol content calculator.
• Divide limoncello among 6 wine bottles. Seal with corks. Allow to rest in a cool, dark place for 1 month, swirling every few days. Strain one more time to remove any leftover sediment if desired.
• Place 1 bottle of limoncello in the freezer and serve icy-cold. Store remaining bottles at room temperature.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
• Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

ITALIAN LIMONCELLO COCKTAIL

Steps:

• In a pint glass, add a few ice cubes, lemon pieces, basil, grappa and limoncello and muddle. Add in simple syrup, stir and strain into large ice filled glass. Top with club soda and garnish with fresh basil.

LIMONCELLO (ITALIAN LEMONCELLO) OR ORANGECELLO

Steps:

• Take a large glass jar.
• Large enough to hold to bottle of 750ml vodka.
• Add one of the bottles of vodka into the jar.
• Save the other bottle of vodka for later.
• Grate the zest of the 15 lemons into the jar of vodka.
• Cover jar tightly and let sit at room temperature for 30-40 days.
• The longer it rests- the better it will taste.
• No need to shake or stir the contents- all you have to do is be patient and wait.
• As the limoncello sits, the vodka takes the flavor and yellow color from the lemon peels.
• After 30-40 days, take the sugar (or Splenda) and place into a pan.
• Add the water and cook for about 7 minutes- until it becomes a thick sauce or syrup.
• Let the sugar mixture cool.
• Then open the lid on the jar of lemon and vodka mixture and add the sugar mixture into the jar.
• Add the 2nd bottle of vodka.
• Close lid on jar tightly and let it sit again for another 30-40 days.
• After the 30-40 days has passed, strain the lemon peel (lemon zest) and discard the zest (peel).
• Pour the remaining liquid, which is now lemoncello into bottles and place into the freezer until ready to serve.