Limoncello, where do I start!
Italy has been heavily on my mind this year, as it made the Top 3 list for my 2019 birthday trip consideration. So when one of my instagram buddies, @SomethingToDrinkAbout, gifted me with a sample of her homemade limoncello this summer, the urge to make my own batch of this sun kissed nectar has been ningling at me ever sense.
So, I finally decided to get off my duff, get me some lemons, and get to cracking, err squeezing.
History of Limoncello
If you’re looking for the who, how, and when of limoncello, good luck! LOL! 😀 I went searching, and trust me, there is no clear cut answer on this. Several of the cities along the Amalfi Coast claim credit to its origins–Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi…. So, while we may never discover who created this beverage, I think we all can agree it’s delicious. And that’s what’s important here.
Making Limoncello
Similar to trying to determine to origins of this delicious drink, try finding a definitive recipe. Go ahead, I’ll wait…..
You didn’t, did you? That’s because one doesn’t exist. 😀 Just like attempting to parse out the true lineage of this beverage, trying to find The Precious, The One Recipe (#LOTR) is an effort in futility. There are truly dozens and dozens of recipes out there. EVERYONE has their version where the type of alcohol used, the time the lemon peels steep, the type of sweetener, and how much is used, all vary. So after watching no less than 10 videos and reading no less than 7 recipes, I decided to pull together my own limoncello recipe for my first foray into making liquid gold.
Ingredients:
- 10 organic lemons
- 750 ml Everclear, 95%– 190 proof
If you can’t find 190 proof, use the highest proof pure grain you can find–or– the highest proof Vodka you can find
Tools:
- vegetable peeler
- citrus press
Directions:
- Zest the lemons, taking as little of the pith as possible. Ideally, you want none of the pith (the white part) of the lemon included, but I wasn’t that good at wielding the peeler this time…
- Place lemon peels in a container–preferably a glass one with a lid
- Add the juice of the lemons you peeled (waste not, want not)
- Add the bottle of Everclear
- Place lid on container, give it a good shake, then place it in a dark, cool space
- The hard part–wait 20 days while the alcohol infuses with the lemon peels
Notes:
After looking at dozens of recipes, I decided to include the lemon juice. The overwhelming majority of the recipes I found only soak the lemon peels in the alcohol. I found a couple of recipes in which the juice was also included, so I decided to go this route. For one, I didn’t want to waste the lemons. For another, I love citrusy drinks. I’m that person that when I make lemonade, you can be assured that it will be extra tart. I’ve also learned that not everyone loves my level of citrusy-ness. (I am still fielding jokes from that time I made lemonade for my friends, so trust me.) 🙂
Next Steps:
I am on the fence about the amount of time I will actually let the lemon peels soak in the alcohol. Since I’m using Everclear and a lot of the recipes I looked at used a less potent alcohol, I’m going to check on my infusion daily and attempt to let it go for 20 days.. I’ve seen suggested date ranges for letting the solution soak of anywhere between 3 and 30 days. So, I’ll check daily and once the peels have lost their color, I will proceed to Part 2 of this process–which is adding the sweetener. And to be honest, I am still on the fence as to whether I will use a heavy simple syrup or honey. I want to preserve the lemony color, so I am leaning towards the simple syrup route.
But, I don’t know. So check back with me for part 2 of the limoncello journey to see which way I go.
**Update: Part 2 is up!**🍋🍹
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