When life hands you a lemon tree, make limoncello, the Italian after-dinner digestivo of Summer.
It’s like sipping liquid sunshine.
Limoncello is an Italian liqueur produced in homes all over Italy. It is most popular in the southwest, near the Gulf of Naples and the coastal city of Sorrento, home of the Femminello St. Teresa, AKA Santa Teresa or Sorrento lemon. The Mediterranean climate here in California also means many homes here have at least some type of citrus tree included as standard equipment. We have Meyer lemons, navel and blood oranges and limes distributed around our suburban property.
In January, we bring in a couple dozen lemons from our tree and zest them. We steep the zest in a neutral or rectified spirit for a couple of months to extract the essential oils. We then sweeten this golden infusion with a simple syrup. When the lemon oils and sugar combine and emulsify, it gives the product that cool-looking, absinthe-like opaqueness, known as the ouzo effect. We then bottle and patiently store our golden elixir in the freezer until Summer.
Santa Teresa lemons are high in lemon oils, making them an ideal candidate for limoncello. We use our Meyer lemons, a sweeter citron hybrid from China. Try substituting oranges in this recipe to make arancello.
This sipper weighs in between 24% ABV if using 120-proof alcohol, or 30% if using 151-proof. It can get up to a whopping 38% ABV if using super high-octane 190-proof.
Pro Tips
Take only the yellow part of the skin using a microplane grater. Avoid the white pith, as it can turn your limoncello bitter.
The higher the proof the better. Whenever possible, we reach for 190 or 151-proof Everclear, but we can only get the 120-proof version, we’ll roll with that.
Steep the lemon peels as long as you can to maximize extraction of essential lemon oils.
The longer it ages in the bottle, the smoother it gets.
Limoncello
Equipment
- microplane grater
- sterile gallon-sized jar with lid
- cheesecloth
- funnel
- Large pot
- sterile bottles for bottling (screw tops or swing tops are best)
Ingredients
- 25 ea Santa Maria or Sorrento lemons any lemon or other citrus can be used
- 1750 ml Everclear or grain alcohol, 151-proof
- 6.5 C water distilled or filtered
- 4 C white, granulated sugar reduce by 1/2 cup if using sweeter Meyer lemons
Instructions
- Wash lemons, zest with a microplane grater.
- Place grated lemon zest in the sterile jar with the alcohol. Juice the lemons and save the juice for later. See Notes below.
- Let sit in covered jar in a cool place, away from direct sunshine, for at least 30 days, preferably 60.
- When ready to bottle, strain the lemon alcohol into a sterile gallon jar, through a funnel lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Save the zest for later. See Notes below.
- Make simple syrup by bringing the water to a boil in a large pot, then turn off the heat and add the sugar. Stir until fully dissolved and the syrup is clear. Let cool.
- Once the simple syrup is cooled completely, combine with the lemon alcohol, stir, and pour into sterile bottles.
- Store bottles in the freezer for at least 30 more days, the longer the better.
- Serve ice cold in the summertime, and sip slowly (it will be between 24-30% ABV)