Homemade Limoncello
Homemade Limoncello, bottled and ready for slow evenings and summer cocktails.
There’s something nice about having a bottle of limoncello in the freezer, and it’s surprisingly easy to make yourself.
Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur made by steeping lemon peels in alcohol and then sweetening it slightly. Traditionally it’s served in small glasses after dinner, and I like to keep a bottle in the freezer and use it for spritzes before dinner or a simple basil limoncello cocktail. Kept in the freezer, it turns thick, ice cold, and very smooth.
It begins with a bag of lemons and a vegetable peeler. Too much pith makes the limoncello bitter, so it’s worth taking your time. If there’s any white pith left, trim it off with a knife. The peels go into a big jar, then you pour the vodka over the peels, and the jar sits on the counter for a few days before you add the simple syrup. Homemade limoncello is one of those things that sounds impressive, and is actually very simple — lemon peels, vodka, sugar, and time. Mostly time.
If you like having a few things on hand that make an ordinary evening feel a little more special, this is one of them.
The first step to homemade limoncello — peeling fresh lemons.
Homemade Limoncello
This is the way I make limoncello at home. It’s a simple process and mostly just takes a little time and patience.
Ingredients:
10 lemons
1 (750 ml) bottle vodka (I use Tito’s because it’s smooth, not too expensive, and easy to find.)
1¼ cups sugar
1¼ cups water
Vodka poured over fresh lemon peels — the start of the limoncello infusion.
Instructions:
Peel the lemons into long strips using a vegetable peeler, leaving as much of the white pith behind as possible. Too much pith makes the limoncello bitter, so if there’s any white pith left on the peels, trim it off with a knife.
Place the lemon peels in a large glass jar and pour the vodka over the peels.
Cover and let the jar sit on the counter for 5 days.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the sugar and water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil. Let it cool completely.
Pour the cooled simple syrup into the lemon vodka and stir to combine.
Strain out the peels and pour the limoncello into a bottle.
Store in the freezer.
Lemon peels steeping in vodka — time does most of the work here.
How I Use Limoncello at Home
Limoncello is perfect for a simple Limoncello Spritz, especially in the summer, or for a basil limoncello cocktail like the Amalfi Basil Smash. It’s great to keep a bottle in the freezer because it’s an easy thing to pull out when friends stop by, or when dinner runs late and you want something small to pour while you finish cooking.
Cheers!
The Almalfi Basil Smash cocktail.
