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Limoncello

Give the gift of liquid sunshine! Serve this in small glasses after dinner with friends on a warm Summer night. Try spooning some over a scoop of ice cream sitting atop a brownie, or pair with a nice square of dark chocolate.
Prep Time30 days
Bottle Aging Time (the longer the better)60 days
Total Time90 days
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: lemon, limoncello
Servings: 120 1 oz servings
Calories: 150kcal
Author: scottg

Equipment

  • microplane grater
  • sterile gallon-sized jar with lid
  • cheesecloth
  • funnel
  • Large pot
  • sterile bottles for bottling (screw tops or swing tops are best)

Mise en place

  • 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

Method

  • 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)

Notes

Juice the lemons after zesting them, and freeze the lemon juice in ice cube trays for later use.
The spent zest can be tossed in some sugar to be used as candied lemon bits for rimming serving glasses, plate garnish, or other uses that call for candied lemon peel.
We bottle our limoncello in 1 L bottles for serving at parties, but we also bottle some in smaller 375ml bottles to give as gifts.