Limoncello (Lemoncello) the Italian way


 
Mike,

I was able to get ahold of organic lemons with no wax, but what happens if you use waxed lemons. I live in a more rural area and may not always be able to get unwaxed lemons. Regards.
 
Washing removes the wax coating. (Even organic fruit should be washed first.)

We've taken to pouring limoncello over ice in a tall glass, adding a splash of cranberry, and topping with club soda. Very refreshing for our hot afternoons.

Just knocked off the last bottle of the calamondin version. Bought more alcohol but ended up leaving quicker than I'd planned so didn't get a chance to make a new batch. Bummer.
 
Hi Kevin,
I am still having problems with the local spirit, but hoping my latest batch will do the trick. Off to Italy in about 4 weeks and hoping to pick up a load of pure spirit for later in the year. Still serving mine straight from the freezer. Hope everything is good with you.
 
The more I read, the thirstier I get!

Mark - You're right, Everclear is hard to find in Ohio, but there are a few places that will sell it. Keep asking. Also, you can find those on the Internet who will ship it directly to you.

My latest thoughts center around alternate citrus fruits. I'm fascinated to learn details on how Kevin's calamondin turned out, compared to lemon. Also, recipes - how many of each alternate does it take, compared to the 10 - 11 lemons?

I actually zested 80 key limes, and it seems good. Key lime is light and refreshing. But my real favorite, a real blockbuster, is kumquat. This is very rich and goes way beyond orange, with an extra spicy tang. I figured, what is the only citrus you eat whole?; in other words, the peel is the best part of that fruit. So, using only the zest here gave an amazingly good result. Just hard to zest as many as 120 of the little guys! But, well worth it, and this may the best use of kumquats ever!
 
Cracked into my lemoncello. That is really good stuff! My wife did not like the stuff I bought but said the batch I made was much better - much less bitter and better flavor. I sometimes add a bit of fresh lemon juice and a dash of water - I like it that was as much as straight. Thanks for the recipe. Regards.
 
Seems like without fail, homemade >> commercial limoncello! I wonder why? Also, these tbings do seem to improve with time in bottle. The key lime has. Can anyone comment further on grapefruit cello? I may attempt that next.

Bill in Bay
 
Originally posted by Bill Hrubik:
Seems like without fail, homemade >> commercial limoncello! I wonder why? Also, these tbings do seem to improve with time in bottle. The key lime has. Can anyone comment further on grapefruit cello? I may attempt that next.

Bill in Bay
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Bill,

I stated earlier that the grapefruit was excellent, but maybe too intense. I diluted mine with sweet/sour mix to make it more drinkable.

Your's may differ, but it is certainly worth trying.

Jim
 
Hi All,
Well after struggling for nearly a year using locally distilled grappa as a substitute for pure spirit I finally got to Sicily and was able to get more pure spirit there. I brought back 12 lt. and immediately made a new batch with fresh picked lemons from a friends trees. It was great. The stuff I made with the grappa was OK, but I had to do a lot of work with the recipe to get it anywhere close to what I was used to. Our friends still liked it, but (As I kept telling them) it wasn't like the real thing. Glad to see that so many of you are enjoying the recipe and trying it with other fruits. I have tried it with kumquats, lime, gratefruit, and orange. They were all good, but I think my favorite after lemon was a blend I made of lime and lemon. Hope you continue to enjoy.
 
Mike, I made a batch of Lemoncello earlier this year and it turned out great. I recently found a good use for it. It is the best cough medicine I have ever found. I had a cold with a sore throat and cough. I sipped on some lemoncello and my throat felt better, the cough went away, and I felt REALLY GOOD!
 
Wayne, I very rarely get colds so I have to lie to my wife when I use that excuse to have a drink. I also try to convince her that it is a great pain killer when my knees are giving me problems. Just finished my latest batch. Will start drinking it in a week or so. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
 
I calculate this comes out to about 70 proof. Is that near the commercial version's potency?

Jim
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I calculated the final result as both 109 Proof and 54% alcohol. My formula is as follows:

V1 x C1 = V2 x C2

By rearranging:

(V1C1)/V2 = C2

V1 = 1L
V2 = 1.75L (conversion from pints to liters is grossly rounded out)

C1 = either 190 Proof or 95% alcohol

Correct me, please.
 
The water and sugar volumes need to be converted to L, right?

Jim-- Pallini and Caravella, the two commercial limoncelli most available here, are 52 and 64 respectively.
 
As a former chemist, I do know that there's not exactly a 2:1 ratio between proof and alcoholic content. Just too lazy to look it up.
 
Originally posted by JRPfeff:
Mike in Malta - You got me started, now no citrus fruit is safe.

citruscellos6wt.jpg


These are half-batches of Meyer lemon, grapefruit, key lime, and tangerine. I'll post my results when complete.

Jim
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JrPfeff:

I just started my first ever batch of lemoncello using the initial recipe. Is there some reason that you place your extraction vessels in the window? Do you get a better extraction therefore flavor when conducting the extraction in day/sunlight?
 
Originally posted by tjkoko:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JRPfeff:
Mike in Malta - You got me started, now no citrus fruit is safe.

citruscellos6wt.jpg


These are half-batches of Meyer lemon, grapefruit, key lime, and tangerine. I'll post my results when complete.

Jim
Click to expand...

JrPfeff:

I just started my first ever batch of lemoncello using the initial recipe. Is there some reason that you place your extraction vessels in the window? Do you get a better extraction therefore flavor when conducting the extraction in day/sunlight? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm sorry for any confusion. The placement of the jars was only for that picture. They were left on the table in a dark room for the entire extraction period.

Jim
 
Question: upon mixing the three week old alcohol and zest mixture with the sugar solution, clouding resulted. Is this normal?

And yes, 2 1/2 pounds of sugar was dissolved in warm water that was allowed to cool and clear. The sugar solution was clear just before mixing.
 
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