Homemade limoncello liqueur: TOP 4 recipes

Tips and secrets of the Italian drink at home
Regular recipe
Traditional lemon liqueur
Homemade limoncello with vodka
Limoncello from moonshine
Video recipes

Limoncello is a sweet, tart and refreshing sweet Italian lemon liqueur. This is a great recipe from the sunny coast of Sorrento that is incomparable. But when you try store-bought copies, the bottom of the glass reveals only cloying sweetness and a complete lack of freshness, for which the liqueur is so loved. Therefore, the inhabitants of the southern regions of Italy have learned to prepare limoncello at home and finely tune the taste of the drink to their preferences. In this material we will learn how to properly prepare homemade limoncello liqueur.

Tips and secrets of the Italian drink at home

Limoncello is usually prepared from the zest of Femminello St. lemons. Teresa - more Sorrento lemons. They are characterized by rough, wrinkled skin and rich essential oils. Lemons are grown under the canopy of chestnut trees, which protect the young shoots of the trees from precipitation. The collection is collected in the Campania region, between the towns of Vico Equense and Massa Lubrense, or on the Capri Peninsula. In our area, lemons of all kinds are used to make the drink. With all this, remember that their color affects the color of the finished liqueur.
To add a green color to the liqueur, take 1 lemon with greenish skin for any 5 lemons. The color of the tincture will be the most “sunny” if you replace 1 out of 6 lemons with an orange.
Selected citrus fruits are well washed and peeled without a snow-white albedo. This is easier to do with a potato peeler or a sharp paring knife.
Lemon zest is soaked in alcohol for up to 1 month, after which the fragrant infusion is combined with sweet syrup and left for another time, after which the liqueur is filtered.
Having remembered the traditional method of action, you can then experiment with the drink, because There are a huge number of methods for making liqueur.
The strength of the drink varies due to the different ratio of sugar to water. The sweeter the liqueur, the stronger it is. But sweet liqueurs are surprisingly easier to drink. Limoncello typically ranges from 20 to 37% ABV.
To make the liqueur medium strength (about 35%), use 120% water in relation to alcohol and 80% sugar. Then the drink will have a sugar content of 30%. The result will be a traditional limoncello, with a strength of 35-38% and a sweetness of 300 g/l, as is commonly believed in southern Italy.
If the liqueur turns out to be very sugary, add mineral water to it before serving. With all this, the strength of a very strong product will decrease.
Italians love to play with the taste of limoncello, adding a cinnamon stick, ginger, and other spices to the drink.
Italians advise taking 30 g of lemon zest for any 100 ml of alcohol. Then you will be guaranteed a catchy and fresh lemon taste.
Vodka, alcohol, and even not the most successful moonshine, previously purified in a filter, are suitable as an alcohol base for Italian liqueur.
The taste of liqueur will be more pleasant if you drink distilled water.
The liqueur is served chilled, so place the liqueur in the refrigerator 1 hour before consumption. The lower the temperature, the richer the limoncello taste. It is also better to chill the glasses in the freezer.
The liqueur is stored for 3 to 6 months. The longer the drink is aged, the tastier it will be.

The usual recipe for Limoncello with alcohol

Recipe for homemade Italian lemon liqueur based on alcohol-based limoncello. It is very easy to prepare at home and you can simply adjust the taste as you wish.

Calorie content per 100 g - 321 kcal.
Number of servings - 2.5 l
Production time - 7 days

Ingredients:

Large lemons - 10 pcs.
Sugar - 800 g
Grain alcohol 95.6% – 1 l
Unsullied water - 1-1.2 l

Making Limoncello with alcohol according to the classic recipe:

Wash the lemons, pour boiling water over them so that the wax comes off and rub them with a rough cloth (A collection of different and interacting tissues form organs) .
Remove the yellowish part of the zest from the fruit without the snow-white subcutaneous skin, which gives bitterness.
Place the zest in a jar, fill with grain alcohol, close tightly and leave to infuse in a dark and cool place for 20 days. During this period of time, the alcohol will turn yellow, and the lemon zest will turn pale and become brittle. Then strain the tincture through a sieve into a clean container with an airtight lid.
Prepare the syrup. To do this, mix water with sugar in a saucepan, heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves one hundred percent. Then remove the syrup from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Pour the syrup into the lemon macerate and stir. The liquor will immediately become cloudy, but that’s how it should be.
Pour homemade limoncello into sterile bottles, seal with airtight lids and leave in a cool, dry place away from sunlight for 40 days.
Then store the liqueur in the refrigerator.

Traditional lemon liqueur Limoncello

Traditional Limoncello is very popular in Italy and is easy to prepare on your own at home. Sicilian lemon liqueur with a pleasant citrus taste will greatly appeal to lovers of sweet alcoholic drinks.

Ingredients:

Lemons - 10 pcs.
Alcohol 96% - 500 ml (or 750 ml high-quality vodka)
Drinking water – 650 ml
Sugar - 450 g (or 600 g if vodka is used)

Making the traditional lemon liqueur Limoncello:

Wash the lemons, dry them and carefully remove the upper yellowish part of the skin from the fruit, without touching the snow-white pulp, otherwise the liqueur will turn out bitter. The total weight of the zest should be approximately 120-150 g.
Pour the zest with alcohol or vodka, and close the container tightly with a lid.
Leave the drink in a cool, black place for 7-10 days, shaking the container once a day.
After 7-10 days, prepare sweet syrup. To do this, pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and place on low heat. Boil and cook the syrup over medium heat for 5 minutes, skimming off the snow-white foam. Then cool it to room temperature.
Strain the lemon tincture through a sieve and squeeze the zest dry.
Pour the strained cooled tincture into the sweet syrup and stir.
Bottle the limoncello and leave it in a cool place to improve the taste for 5-7 days. Then you can taste the lemon liqueur.

Homemade limoncello with vodka

A strong vodka-based limoncello drink can be combined with mineral water or sparkling wine by adding ice cubes. It can be used as a fragrant impregnation for baked goods: muffins, rolls, biscuits.

Ingredients:

Lemons - 5 pcs.
Vodka – 0.5 l
Sugar - 200 g
Water – 80 ml
Cinnamon – 1 stick

Making homemade limoncello with vodka:

Wash the lemons, dry them, peel the top yellow layer of the skin so that the peel comes out to about 80 g.
Pour vodka over the crusts, throw in a cinnamon stick, cover with a lid and put in a cold place for 7 days. Shake the composition every day.
After 7 days, prepare the syrup. To do this, measure the required amount of sugar and add water. Place the container on a slow fire and cook until the sugar is one hundred percent dissolved.
Strain the infused cinnamon crusts through a sieve and pour the boiled syrup into the strained tincture.
Stir everything thoroughly, pour into decanters and cool well in the refrigerator, then serve the sunny drink.

Limoncello from moonshine

Italian lemon liqueur Limoncello with moonshine. This is a simple recipe for a delicious drink, which consists of available ingredients. With all this, the result is a dessert drink with a mild taste and moderate alcohol.

Ingredients:

Lemons - 12 pcs.
Moonshine 40% – 1 l
Sweet sand - 0.9 kg
Unsullied water – 0.6 l

Making limoncello from moonshine:

Wash citrus fruits with a kitchen brush under cold water so that no wax or dirt remains on the surface.
Then dry the lemons with a cardboard napkin and peel off the yellowish zest, without touching the snow-white layer.
Place the finished zest immediately in a glass jar and fill it with moonshine so that the alcohol covers the zest one hundred percent.
Leave the preparation to infuse at room temperature in a dark place for 5 days. Shake the jar with the preparation 2-3 times a day.
After a while, strain the preparation through cheesecloth and remove the used raw materials from the water. Squeeze the lemon peels well.
When the tincture is ready, cook the syrup from water and sugar for 5 minutes until the sweet mixture darkens and thickens.
Cool the sweet base to room temperature and pour into the tincture.
Stir until completely dissolved, pour the drink into bottles, seal it with a lid and leave for 2 weeks so that it gets a pronounced citrus smell and lemon aftertaste.

Video recipes for making limoncello at home.

Limoncello

The typical Italian lemon liqueur is limoncello. Two easy recipes: traditional and creamy limoncello. A little background, ingredients and production methods.

It so happened that at one time I visited Italy quite often. As is clear, Italians are very friendly and hospitable people, so I tried more than enough of their usual drinks. It was enough for the owner of the store to find out that you are “from Mosca”, and that’s it - until you try half the assortment of cheeses, drinks and meat, you won’t leave)))!

I won’t talk about wine, because I’m neither a lover nor a connoisseur. We'll talk about nocillo when it comes to the nut liqueur. Grappa is a typical thing, as for me, it’s very “fragrant”. But I really liked the limoncello. It stands out somewhat from the general range of our previous tinctures due to the fact that it is better to use alcohol as a base here, rather than moonshine. But there are no problems with that, because there are a huge number of distillers that allow you to obtain a 96% product after the first cycle. For example, Malinovka “Captain”, distillation column Malinovka, Phoenix “Zenith” or the wonderful “Cuprum & Steel” SUPERSTAR.

Like any self-respecting ordinary drink, the history of limoncello is rich in legends and at the same time completely foggy. Here for you and the land of the Sirens - the modern region of Campania - where some ordinary mortal revealed to Zeus himself the secret of making this strong sweet drink. Here are the Carthusian monks, who in ancient times ended their hard day with a sip of limoncello.

But the closer to modern times, the more prosaic the versions become. At the moment, three regions of southern Italy – Capri, Amalfi and Sorrento – claim the right to be called the birthplace of limoncello. The Sorrentines say that it was in their early twentieth century that this liqueur in its present form first appeared. The inhabitants of Amalfi categorically disagree with this and say that their local fishermen have been warming themselves with limoncello for a long time. But the senors and senoritas from Capri probably don’t argue with anyone anymore, which is why in 1988 their compatriot Massimo Canale simply patented the “Limoncello” brand! The fact is that Massimo’s grandmother, Maria Antonio Farace, being the owner of the boarding house in the 1900s, came up with her own recipe for lemon liqueur, and the grateful descendant got the hang of it.

The main personality and distinctive feature of limoncello is that it is prepared from especially fragrant lemons from the Sorrento Peninsula. All other similar drinks cannot be called limoncello and are simply some lemon liqueurs. But, I’ll tell you a secret, it doesn’t make them any worse! In fact, every region of Italy has its own version of limoncello. Nothing stops us from creating our own unique drink.

And, finally, recipes for making limoncello.

I used lemon liqueurs with both alcohol and vodka. I like the 1st option better and it is stronger. The methods actually do not differ in any way, except for the alcohol base. In addition, you can also create a creamy lemon liqueur, which is much softer and less strong. I didn’t make it, I just tasted it, but I understand the recipe and will give it at the end of the article.

Limoncello with an alcohol base.

To make it we will need: 5-6 medium-sized fragrant lemons; 0.5 liters of alcohol; 450 grams of sugar and 0.5 liters of water from under the filter.

– wash the lemons well and remove the zest from them, trying not to capture the snow-white layer – it is bitter;

– put the zest in a glass container, fill it with alcohol and seal it tightly;

– leave in a dark place at room temperature for two weeks, shaking once a day;

– prepare sweet syrup by boiling water and dissolving sugar in it. It is worth boiling the syrup for several minutes, removing the foam;

– filter the alcoholic lemon infusion through cheesecloth and mix with the cooled sweet syrup;

– carefully mix the tincture and pour into storage containers;

– we give our drink a week to rest and taste it with pleasure!

Creamy lemon liqueur.

To make it we take: 7-8 medium lemons; 0.5 liters of alcohol; 0.5 liters of milk; 1kg sugar; 0.5 liters of cream; vanillin on the tip of a knife.

– remove the zest from washed lemons and fill it with alcohol;

– leave in a hermetically sealed container for 20 days in a dark place at room temperature, shaking occasionally;

– filter the alcoholic lemon infusion through cheesecloth, carefully squeezing it out;

– mix milk, vanillin, cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil;

– add sugar to the milk mixture and stir thoroughly until completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature;

– pour the filtered alcohol tincture into the milk mixture and mix;

– pour it out for storage and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks to rest.

It is better to keep both liqueurs in the refrigerator or basement, as they can be stored amazingly for up to a year.

And finally, a couple of tips for consuming limoncello.

Limoncello should be drunk chilled and in small sips, pausing between sips.

To do this, before tasting, put the liqueur and the glasses from which you are going to drink it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Limoncello is not at all suitable as an aperitif. It contains a lot of sugar and can kill your appetite. But at the end of the meal - during or after dessert, it will be very organic.

Homemade lemon liqueur based on zest and juice

One of the most fragrant liqueurs, which will not leave citrus lovers indifferent. The simple recipe and natural ingredients make this dessert drink a welcome guest during any feast. We will look at how to prepare lemon liqueur at home using proven technology.

The Italian version of lemon liqueur is called Limoncello. It is obtained by infusing the zest (the yellowish part of the skin) in alcohol with the following addition of sweet syrup. The traditional Limoncello recipe has been published on the website previously. But almost everyone didn’t like the excessive sweetness and strong taste. The homemade lemon liqueur presented here with zest and juice is milder in taste and not cloying.

Ingredients:

lemons – 3 pieces (medium);
alcohol 96% – 500 ml;
sugar – 550 gr;
water – 0.5 liters;
ginger, mint - optional.

I advise you to use only mature yellowish lemons with narrow skins for liqueur. The alcohol can be replaced with vodka, but then instead of a drink with a strength of 36 degrees, you will get a liqueur containing 18-20 degrees. The strength can be increased by increasing the amount of vodka added - without losing the taste by a maximum of 30%. It is not allowed to significantly reduce the proportion of water, otherwise it will be difficult to cook the syrup. Another option is to use strong moonshine (70-85%).

Lemon liqueur recipe

1. Scald the lemons with boiling water, then wash them in running water and wipe dry with a clean towel to remove the preservative from the surface.

2. Using a sharp knife or a special device for peeling potatoes, remove the zest from the lemons - the upper yellowish part. There should be no snow-white pulp left on the purchased zest, otherwise the finished liqueur will be bitter.

The usual method is to carefully cut off the zest.

3. Squeeze juice from peeled lemons.

4. Add zest, lemon juice and alcohol (vodka, moonshine) to a glass container. If desired, add a few mint leaves or a piece of ginger root, which will give the drink a unique flavor note. Stir and seal tightly.

5. Place the bottle in a black, warm space for 10 days. It is better to shake the container once a day.

6. Filter the resulting tincture through 2 layers of gauze or a cotton napkin. It's great to squeeze out the zest.

7. Boil the sweet syrup (mix water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cook over low heat for 5 minutes, skimming off the foam) and cool it to room temperature.

8. Mix syrup with lemon tincture.

9. Pour the purchased liquor into bottles. To improve the taste, I recommend keeping the drink for 5-7 days in a cold, black place.

Shelf life – up to 5 years if stored away from direct sunlight. Strength (alcohol) – 34-37%. If sediment appears on the day, filter the drink through cotton wool.

The most important thing is to serve perfectly chilled (3-5°C). Any dessert dishes are suitable for appetizers.

The Italian lemon liqueur Limoncello is prepared using approximately the same method; the vodka-based recipe is shown in the video.

Limoncello: recipe for vodka, all the subtleties and secrets of making the drink

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur whose history goes back hundreds of years. The first bottle of the fragrant sweet and sour drink came about quite by chance. There is a legend that says that its creator was an ordinary lady. Having collected a sufficient collection of lemons, she simply did not know what to do with the large amount of fruit and how to keep them fresh. It was for the first time that she came up with the idea of pouring alcohol into lemons, adding sugar for taste.

Now, despite its long history, the limoncello recipe with vodka does not lose its relevance. Due to the ease and simplicity of production, the fragrant liqueur can be prepared at home.

Ingredients

A recipe for limoncello with vodka at home involves the use of common and available ingredients:

lemon – 6-7 pcs;

vodka – 550-600 ml;

sweet sand – 120-140 g;

purified water – 120 ml.

Sugar can be taken in larger or smaller quantities, depending on the desired level of strength and sweetness of the prepared drink.

Crafting recipe

Limoncello recipe with vodka does not require much time and effort. Step-by-step production of an Italian drink:

Citrus fruits should be thoroughly washed and dried with cardboard napkins.
After this, the fruit needs to be peeled - the zest is removed very carefully, if you touch the snow-white layer, the drink will turn out to be bitter, with a nasty aftertaste.
The lemon peel should be cut, poured into a glass jar or other container, then the zest can be poured into the vodka base.
The container with limoncello must be tightly sealed and sent to infuse for 7-8 days away from direct sunlight, at room temperature.
After the specified period, the drink must be filtered through gauze folded in several layers.
The strained lemon peel should be filled with clean water and left for another 1-2 hours.

While the citrus zest is infused, you need to prepare a sweet syrup. Take a vessel with thick walls - the pan does not have to be large, because a small amount of water is used.

Add sweet sand to the water and place on low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. 4-5 minutes is enough for the grains to disappear, then simmer for another couple of minutes. During the heating process, thick, snow-white foam may appear on the surface of the liqueur, which must be removed with a spoon.

At the final step, you need to combine all the ingredients - sweet syrup with previously strained vodka, pour it into bottles and send it to a dark and cold space for 7-8 days. After this, the fragrant liqueur can be tasted.

Limoncello with a vodka base can be prepared not only from lemon zest, but also from whole fruits. To do this, they should be washed under running water, placed in a pan and boiled for 5-7 minutes. Cut the cooked fruits into two parts, then squeeze out the juice. It is not consumed, and the remaining pulp is combined with a vodka base and sugar, then departs for 8-10 days into a black and cold space.

Next, you need to prepare the syrup - in this recipe, purified water for its production is replaced with squeezed lemon juice mixed with sweet sand. The ingredients must be boiled so that all the sweet grains dissolve one hundred percent, then the syrup is mixed with the vodka base. After 8-9 days, the fragrant drink can be served.

Useful secrets and tricks

In order for the Italian liqueur to be truly tasty and fragrant, when making it you need to keep in mind a few fundamental rules.

if desired, vodka can be replaced with another alcoholic drink - moonshine, alcohol diluted with water;

the drink will be tasty only if it is made from new citrus fruits;

lemons should not be wilted - when pressed they remain dense, tight and elastic;

You should not eat overripe, very soft fruits;

the surface of the lemon is even, smooth, even glossy;

the smell is pleasant, rich.

If, when peeling the skin, a narrow snow-white film remains on it, it must be removed - peel it off with a knife blade or simply throw it away. This film contains bitterness, which can spoil any drink.

Lemon liqueur does not have to have a completely transparent color; in the traditional recipe, the drink has a yellowish color of varying intensity. Homemade limoncello can be stored on the refrigerator shelf, in the cellar or in a cold basement. Under these conditions, the drink can be stored for 2-3 years.

Useful characteristics of liqueur

Limoncello recipe with vodka is quickly prepared and differs in a wide range of required parameters. In the production of the Italian drink, the freshest lemon peel is used, containing a large amount of vitamin C and other necessary substances.

Medicinal characteristics of lemon liqueur:

Unsurpassed tones and refreshes in the summer heat.

Useful for kidney stones.

Helps reduce pain and discomfort from hemorrhoids.

Limoncello is used to treat scurvy.

Improves the condition of the digestive system in various diseases.

Lemon liqueur is used for lumbago, rheumatism, gout, and dropsy.

This unique liqueur is beneficial only when consumed in limited quantities.

My liquor memory

Limoncello and vodka recipe is a unique and sophisticated drink that will certainly appeal to the most discerning gourmets. Its strength can range from 28 to 38°. Thanks to this, it will appeal to both men and lovely ladies.

Lemon liqueur has a pleasant sweet and sour taste, a light, pleasant aroma and a gentle, wonderful aftertaste. The recipe for the Italian drink can be changed at your discretion - vary the amount of sweet sand, replace some of the lemons with oranges or lime, add a few cinnamon sticks or vanilla.

By experimenting with different variations, you can make a breathtakingly tasty and fragrant drink that will send all your friends and acquaintances into ecstasy.

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