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Homemade Limoncello is a recipe very easy to prepare, a must for any Italian festivity! Even if, the traditional method needs a long time for the infusion, scientifically the taste of this delicious Italian after-dinner spirit made with lemons will be perfect in just three days!
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LIMONCELLO RECIPE AND HISTORY
Limoncello is a very popularItalian after-dinner spiritmade with lemon peels.
The first official recipe of Limoncello originates in the early years of the XX Century. Maria Antonia Canale, the owner of the boarding house “Mariantonia” in Capri, use to serve Limoncello prepared following her grandmother recipe.
Her son, Massimo Canale, had registered the Limoncello trademark in 1988.
THE LEGEND BEYOND THE HISTORY
If the history of Limoncello does not go back very far, the legend of this sweet spirit is very ancient. I
t is said that the recipe of Limoncello was a creation of the Sirens. The father of the gods, Zeus stole and revealed it to a sailor. Starting from this legend, the Italian fishermen use to drink a glass of Limoncello in the winter mornings before going to work.
Another legend says that were the Carthusian monks which shoo the sirens finding the recipe of Limoncello.
TRADITIONAL HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO METHOD AND SERVING
The authentic Limoncello is made exclusively with lemon produced in Sorrento or Amalfi. The traditional infusion needs 3 weeks, but scientifically 3 days are enough.
Initially, the Limoncello was served at room temperature, but in the recent years is tasted cold and neat.
WHAT TO SERVE ALONG WITH LIMONCELLO
HOMEMADE LIMONCELLORECIPE
Yield: 10
HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO ITALIAN RECIPE AND HISTORY - ready in 3 days!
Homemade Limoncello is a recipe very easy to prepare, a must for any Italian festivity!
Even if, the traditional method needs a long time for the infusion, scientifically the taste of this delicious Italian after-dinner spirit made with lemons will be perfect in just three days!
Prep Time3 days
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time3 days 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 35 g organic lemon peels
- 3.40 fl. oz (100 ml) alcohol 95%
- 4 fl. oz. (120 ml) water
- 6 tbsp (85 g) sugar
Instructions
LEMON INFUSE
- Choose only organic lemons not chemical treated.
- First of all. Peel the yellow part of the skin of the lemons and cut away any white part.
- Now, pour the lemon peel into a jar along with the alcohol.
- Close the jar and store in a dark place 3 days. Stir the peel once a day.
HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO
- The third day, pour the water in a pot along with the sugar and place over the minimum flame.
- Heat the water stirring until the sugar will be totally melted. Do not exceed the temperature; the sugar solution has not to caramelize.
- Eventually, sift the lemon infuse and combine the alcohol with the sugar solution at room temperature.
- The Limoncello must become bright yellow, not transparent.
- Serve Limoncello neat, cold or at room temperature.
LIMONCELLO AVB
- The traditional Limoncello requires an ABV between 30% and 35%. Here a tab to modify the amount of water to obtain the preferred Alcohol By Volume.
- Please, consider these data a general idea: making homemade alcoholic infuses with home utensils made impossible to obtain an alcoholic content accurate to the decimals.
Last but not least: DRINK RESPONSIBLY! 🙂
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1
Amount Per ServingCalories 103
The writers and publishers of this blog are not nutritionists or registered dietitians.All information presented and written within our blog are intended for informational purposes only. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional.The writers and publishers of this blog are not responsible for adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any recipes or suggestions herein or hereafter.Under no circ*mstances will this blog or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information given by this site. By using this blog and its content, you agree to these terms.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Sandra says
What are you using for alcohol ? I have see recipes with Everclear and some with vodka.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Sandra,
Here in US I prepare Limoncello with Everclear 95%. In Italy, my choice is Buongusto 95%. Many persons prefer to make Limoncello with Vodka; the taste is decent, but it is less alcoholic compared with the traditional recipe.Reply
Laura says
I use 151% Everclear.....
I have never tried a 3 day recipe. I do mine over 30 days. So goodReply
Kathy says
Can you share your recipe?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Kathy,
the recipe is at the end of this postHappy cooking 🙂
F.
Reply
jia says
Enjoyed much
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
I'm glad that you like it 🙂
Reply
Kimberly Loggins says
Please send me the recipe! Sounds wonderful! Thank you so much!
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Thank you Kimberly!
The recipe is at the end of this post 🙂Reply
Val Di Girolami says
so you only use the skin of the lemon, what do you do with the lemon once it is peeled?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Val,I love to use them for a homemade lemonade.
Reply
Paula F says
Do you have a recipe for salad dressing using this limoncello?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Paula,
I never thought of using Limoncello as salad dressing!
Maybe you can try to pour a few drops into a vinaigrette along with oil salt and pepper and taste how it goes 🙂Reply
Sue Kremer says
So, when you say 'sift the lemon infuse', am I actually using a sifter to do this? Please advise and thank you so much.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hello Sue,
That's right! 🙂Reply
Pina trimarchi says
Hi, love the recipe for 3 days sounds great. Does anyone out there have a recipe for alcohol . It's not easy to buy here in Adelaide Australia
ThanksReply
Deborah says
Thank you! We just returned from Italy where limoncello is served after nearly every dinner.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
true story! 🙂
Reply
Bedelia says
Sounds delicious. Do you strain the lemon peel?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Bedelia,
yep, sift the alcoholic infusion and discard the peels, then proceed as I wrote.Happy cooking
Reply
michelle says
in the recipe you say not to exceed the temprature. what do you mean by that?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Michelle,
You want the solution not caramelized: just stop cooking when you see the sugar totaly melted, but the solution still trasparent without any trace of yellow.Let me know if you have some more question 🙂
Reply
Donna says
Can you do the same with lime?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Donna,
I can not say: never tried with them 🙂Reply
Dave says
I’ve made it with lemons, limes, oranges, tangelos, and kumquats before. All good! The initial recipe would be identical except for the change of citrus used, then experiment based on that outcome. Some citrus works better than others because of differing amounts of oils in the peel.
Reply
Evelyn says
Lime is just as delicious!
Reply
Rawnie says
What would happen if you left the lemon peels in the bottle? They look pretty in the bottle.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
HiRawnie,
yes, you can leave them in the bottle 🙂Reply
Sarah says
(1) You can make Lemon Chicken piccata with some of those bald Lemons . (2) You could also slice the Lemons, put several in each block of an icecube tray, cover with water, then freeze. Use in Lemonade or iced tea. (3 ) juice the Lemons and freeze the juice in blocks in an ice cube trays... , put frozen lemon juice cubes into a zip lock bag; keep frozen until ready to use in recipes :...... use later in Lemonaide or lemon piccata, or lemon icebox pue, or lemon sugar cookie recipes; etc. (4) compost all left overs.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Good job Sarah!
Reply
Joe campisi says
What is the final.proof of the finish product. I think the final product should be about 72 proof
Your receipe, with just that amount of water would, IMHO make the drink too strongReply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment.
My estimate is 70 proof (35% ABV). Is it possible you didn't consider the amount of water extracted from the lemon peels?
This recipe reflects my personal taste, and according to the traditional recipe: Limoncello requires an ABV between 30% and 35%.
For those who want a lighter version, I added a tab with the different amounts of water in order to obtain the preferred alcohol content; Plus, I specified the exact grams of lemon peels to use in the Ingredient section.
Thanks again 🙂
FilippoReply
Paul says
I just made a batch and I think that it should be more lemony. Now thst it has been made, can I add more lemon peels at this point or will that ruin the drink?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Paul,
I wrote the lemon pells amount in my experience, and with this quantities I made every time a nice limoncello. However, Nature is great and complex: every lemon is different in flavor and quantity, so I imagine that can happen.
Yes, I think that you can modify the lemon peels amount without ruin your Lemoncello
Let me know and Happy cooking 🙂
F.Reply
Briana Decker says
Its suppost to be strong
Reply
Billy says
This looks so good! I love limoncello, I haven't had it in ages. Can't wait to finally make some more again at home! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Thank you Billy 🙂
Reply
Joanne says
Looking forward to trying this !
Thanks for posting!Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Let me know if you liked it! In these days I'm making mine for Christmas eve 🙂
Reply
Nann says
2018-2 8 thurs. PM
What is Everclear?
At an Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston's Little Italy area, called, actually, "Lemoncello", I asked the waitress what alcohol is used in their Lemonvmcelli. ( it really was fabulous!. She said, NOT vodka, but rather rye whisky.
When I looked for it in a liquor store, It is dark in color. Is this ok to use. It says 95 proof.
Thx
[email protected]Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Nann, thanks for your story!
Everclear is a brand of purified alcohol.
Happy cooking!
Reply
LK Parsons says
Just finished a store bought Pallini Limoncello...time to make my own! Thank you for sharing this recipe, been brew for 24 years & wine for about 20 years....time to broaden my horizon and try your Lemoncello recipe....my niece and I toured Italy last year and enjoyed the many different Lemoncellos served throughout the country side we visited! Will post again with how it all turns out!
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi LK,
I'm honored you choose my recipe among many of! I Hope you'll like it 🙂One thing: consider that Pallini Limoncello is particularly low in alcohol, so if you want to create a similar taste, you want to reduce the alcohol of my recipe.
Happy cooking
F.Reply
Debra Spradlin says
I’ve never tried this ...I’m going to make some!!! I love anything Lemon and this sounds wonderful ♥️
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Cool Debra,
Let me know 🙂
Reply
Kay says
Could you squeeze lemon into it to make it extra lemony? And also by chance do you have a recipe for crystallized lemon rinds.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi kay, squeezed lemon juice will modify the Limoncello taste, so I will not recommend it. About crystallized lemons, I'm sorry but I never tried to make it yet.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Reply
Kristen says
Hi I was just wondering about how many lemons you used to obtain 35g worth of peels. Thanks!
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Kristen, It depends on the size of the lemons: approximately 4 to 6.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Reply
Kim says
I was wondering about using the juice from the lemons as part of the liquid to make the sugar syrup. Would there be a problem doing that? Seems like it would make it more lemony without changing the alcohol content.
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Kim thanks for your comment 🙂
I wouldn't recommend it: the acidity of the lemon juice will ruin the essential oil of the lemon peels.
Happy cooking!
F.
Reply
Bonnie Cooper says
What would happen if you peeled the lemons then smashed the sugar into the peels, making the squashed peel release all the oil from the skin, THEN add the Vodka and let stand 3 days and after straining the peels out add the water?
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi Bonnie,
Honestly, I never tried to make Limoncello in this way, but I can assure that alcohol extract all flavors from the peels without any smashing and sugar.
Consier also that fermenting sugar into alcohol could improve the alcoholic grade.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Reply
Noel Baptiste, Hampshire, UK says
I'm going to make my limoncello with gin which has a little more flavour than vodka owing to the botanicals used in making it. When it is ready for drinking I will compare it with the normal limoncello made with vodka and let you know about the resulting flavour.
A presto !
Noel
Reply
Heather says
Noel - how was it?
Reply
Gary Francis says
Have been looking for a good recipe and was sent a link to this. Looks excellent. Many thanks for the share!!
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Thank you Gary!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Reply
M. says
Wonderful taste and appearance! Just like what we remembered from Italy, and better than store bought here.
But I do have a question. Right after making it looked exactly like it is shown in your pics - a bright opaque yellow. But within a few days it turned more of a clear translucent yellow. It this normal? Loved the initial look of it 🙁
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Hi M.
Thanks for your words: I'm glad you liked my recipe!
Concerning your question, honestly it's never happen with my Limincello.
The only thing I can think: have you stored the lemon peels immersed into into pure 95% alcohol as written in the recipe? Sometimes the bright color fails if the peels are previously jarred with a mixture of water and alchohol. You want add the water after three days. Let me know.Happy cooking!
F.
Reply
Alfonso Lastra says
i love it
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Thank you Alfonso 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.Reply
Marie Scozzari says
I am looking forward to making some Limoncello here in the U.S., but I know it won’t be close to what I had in Sorrento last year. Thank you for the inspiration!
Reply
Filippo Trapella says
Thank you Marie 🙂
happy cooking!
F.Reply
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