Limoncello (Lemoncello) the Italian way


 
My recipe.

Lemoncello, or Limoncello

15 to 20 thick zested lemons
1 (750 ml) bottle 100 proof vodka
1 (750 ml) bottle 190 proof grain alcohol (Everclear)
4 cups sugar
5 cups water

This is a great lemony flavored vodka that is great for sipping after dinner, or anytime. I always try to keep some in the freezer.

Wash the lemons well with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any residue of pesticides or wax.
Pat the lemons dry.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the lemons.
If you do get some of the pith with the zest, carefully scrape it away with the tip of a knife.
Fill the jar with bottles of the vodka, grain alcohol and the zest.
Cover the jar and let it sit forty days at room temperature in a dark cabinet.
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook until thickened, about five minutes.
Let the syrup cool before adding it to the limoncello mixture.
Cover and return to the cupboard for another 40 days.
Strain the limoncello into bottles and discard the lemon zest.
Store them in a cupboard or the freezer.

makes approx. 3 quarts

I stumbled onto a good drink. Last night I put some keylimecello into the glass then added some tropicana fruit punch to it. Mighty tasty.

If doing grapefruit, zest 8 Ruby Red grapefruit.
 
Between Mike Marlow's original recipe and what David Payne shows here, I see a whole lotta wisdom here! I agree that key points are: No need to rush, so let the zest sit, and I also wait to strain and filter until the very end of the process. Why not? Even with the syrup included, filtering with a good coffee filter works fine; it's just a little slow.

Sugar content seems to be the one variable most subject to personal taste, which is very understandable. After this thread and a lot of other internet research, plus experience, I have settled on 4 cups of sugar in a recipe based on 1.0 liter of Everclear, but that is just me.

Joe in PA asked about how many fruits to use, and I have been creating a little table to guide me, again based on 1.0 liter of Everclear:

Lemon 12
Kumquat 120
Key Lime 80
Rangpur Lime 36
Buddha's Hand Citron 3
Grapefruit 8

That is many key limes, but it made a potent and delightful beverage, and I used very green limes... riper ones may allow less. I really want the particular citrus flavors to stand out.

My newest ones, Rangpur lime and Buddha's Hand citron, are really unique and worth the trouble to seek out those fruits... great tastes!

Bill in Bay
 
For filtering, nylon knee highs work very well. We Homebrewers use them for straining out hops and going on the pickup end of the racking cane to keep fruit bits and tiny seeds (strawberries, raspberries, etc.) from going into the carboy when racking. It's not as fine as a coffee filter but they are reuseable. Wash them well in a weak bleach solution before using them for the first time. Turn inside out to disscard peels and wash again.
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Bryan, do you prefer seamless or with seams? Barefoot toe? I'll bet the ones with the embroidered designs at the ankles work really well.
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Inquiring minds.....
Rita
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Originally posted by Rita Y:
Bryan, do you prefer seamless or with seams? Barefoot toe? I'll bet the ones with the embroidered designs at the ankles work really well.
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Inquiring minds.....
Rita
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Oh Girl, your too funny, glad to see you.
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Seamless, sandal toe works for me. CVS el cheapo's to boot.
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They work really well. I knew I was going to hear about it, but you were not on the list to razz me about it.
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Thanks for the laugh, I needed that.
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It just overcame me, Bryan. Completely lost control. You're a good sport!
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My apologies to the threadees,
Rita
 
Seamed--all the way up. Okay, perhaps not for filtering...

Bob, I'd say I disagree with you on the points--but of course everyone can take from the thread what they wish. Nope, no need to rush--but I don't see apoint in extended maceration once the flavors have migrated and that tends to happen fairly quickly. To check, one needs only to scoop out some zest, drain well, rinse in a little water, and taste. If there is no flavor left in the zest maceration is complete. There is then no point to continuing it and no point in waiting to filter it till after the syrup is mixed in; it can be filtered prior to the syrup addition. Of course, one needn't cut the time nor filter first either. Just sayin'...
 
I have been following this thread for some time now with great interest. I am about to dive into my first batch of Lemoncello and have a question. What is a guy supposed to do with 15 or so lemons minus the yellow peel? Any ideas to make use of the fruit? Thanks for any advice.
 
No argument from me, Kevin. The beauty of recipes is how you can personalize them, right? I just like imagining how the Italians originally created limoncello and so I use Mike M's original ideas; of course, I cut back on sugar slightly... we all have our own taste preferences.

I would love to know more about your calamondin and how is it unique? Must be fantastic to make cello from your own grown fruit.

Bill in Bay
 
I have made two batches following the original instructions posted here. Both were excellent. My sister agrees! I agree with Bill, recipes are starting places. Adjustments to taste are how we come up with favorites. Now, that being said, I want to try a different variety of fruit for my next batch. Not having a great selection of citrus fruits here in southwest Virginia, I may have to try orange or grapefruit. Both sound like good variations.
 
I think something with a sour edge works best against the sweet of the sugar. Give the grapefruit a shot. It's very good.

Bill-- Calamondins are rather interesting little fruits. Unlike the sour Seville orange, it is fruitier, more orange-ier--but still sour. Unlike most citrus fruits there is virtually no pith under the zest and this means they are impossible to zest. I simply split the fruits in half and mash them a bit in a bowl then add the grain. This means juice and zest but it works very well (they're very juicy but have less zest oil--so I think the combo of juice and zest is necessary).
 
I definitely agree that the sweet needs something to counter it, and I am inspired to try grapefruit, since it is bitter like lemon. I once tried commercial orangecello (or arancello?), but having no bite to it, it didn't do anything for my taste, personally. Even kumquats with their sweet rind have enough of a little bite to them to make their cello really interesting.

Just finished bottling my latest, Buddha's Hand citroncello. Very close to lemon, but with with a little more aromatic spiciness, and yes, it has lemon's bitter counterpoint... nice! The Rangpur lime cello is to be bottled next weekend. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Just tasted some calamondin jam for the first time... sure is nice on an English muffin! I am sure it is worth the trouble of whatever you can do with them. I am wondering if all these specialty citrus will gradually be discovered in this age of specialization?

Bill in Bay
 
A new Cello Champion? As I guessed and hoped, Rangpur Lime makes an incredible one. Just bottled off the first batch tonight, after a 60-day process.

As Kevin noted, every citrus is different in terms of how thick the peel, how much pith, and how much oil in the skin. With kumquat, even though the skin is thin, I still take only the zest, and it is worth the effort because there is plenty of oil and flavor essence in that zest. Rangpur lime is much quicker and easier to zest, very little pith to worry about, and the zest is loaded with oil. What a nice flavor! Like all the citrus combined into one fruit. Perhaps the best balance of tart, bitter, and sweet fruit. This one is up there with kumquat for me, probably better.

Seek out Rangpur limes if you can. And the juice makes a lime pie beyond key lime, too!

Bill in Bay
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Yes, it will extract from the cut side.

With vodka extraction takes longer than with full-proof grain alcohol,(For thicker, denser items like vanilla beans, using vodka for the extractor can take 3-4 weeks or a little more if the beans are on the dry side.
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Forgive me for going off topic, but since this was posted here I though I'd ask here.
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Hi Bud, Got me 2 Tabasco bottles, one 6oz and one 12oz bottle. Not sure if the beans will fit in the 6 so I saved a 12 also. Now for the million dollar question. I can stuff a pretty good amount of beans in either bottle, how many to use is the ?
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Don't worry about having enough beans, I have several pounds of them. Thanks much Bud.
 
Several pounds? Mexican? Tahitian? Bourbon? Hoo-hah!

I use two to a smaller bottle, 3 to a larger. If you need the extraction to oocur sooner in a bottle or two, split those beans before placing them in the jars. Alternatively (to avoid seeds in the extract), stab the beans several times with the tip of a thin-bladed knife. I just put the beans in as is. After extraction I leave the beans in but as I use the vanilla I replace it with more vodka. Good vanilla beans are loaded with flavor and will last a very long time, giving up their essence all the while.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Several pounds? Mexican? Tahitian? Bourbon? Hoo-hah!

I use two to a smaller bottle, 3 to a larger. If you need the extraction to oocur sooner in a bottle or two, split those beans before placing them in the jars. Alternatively (to avoid seeds in the extract), stab the beans several times with the tip of a thin-bladed knife. I just put the beans in as is. After extraction I leave the beans in but as I use the vanilla I replace it with more vodka. Good vanilla beans are loaded with flavor and will last a very long time, giving up their essence all the while.
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Thanks for the info.
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Yep, Burbon, and Tahitian beans. I gave a bunch away too. Found a killer place to get them on Ebay. Nice fresh moist beans, very high quality. I love opening the jar and just breathing that essence in, it's so intoxicating. Let me know when you're heading home and I'll send you some.
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Bottled my first batch up about 3 weeks ago. I was following Lexx's method for the sugar water ratio with 100 proof vodka. I like it.
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