Limoncello (Lemoncello) the Italian way


 
It's good you are able to find ripe Keys. I rarely see them very ripe in the stores around the country.

Proper pruning is definitely a big deal with many fruit trees. I don't always get to it (I take care of them alone) if I'm on the road a lot--so it can certainly be my own fault if they don't produce well. The problem with last year's negligible Key crop was freeze damage. The trees have overcome since, but didn't fruit well. The Keys are the most cold sensitive of the citrus I grow. Next season I should get a better yield.
 
I just moved to step 2 last night (adding the sugar -water solution)

I took just a tiny sip to sample after mixing the syrup and the booze, and it still tasted STRONGLY of grain alcohol. I'm assuming from what I've read here that the flavor will "mellow" after a couple more weeks of storage?
 
Kevin, I certainly wasn't trying to tell what the problem is. I was just passing something along that I found out when I had some problems with my tree. I didn't realize you had a big freeze there that caused your problems. Actually I have nothing to talk about though. The peach tree I spoke of is history. Ants killed it. I actually only trimed it about every 3 years after I found out how to correctly trim it.

I had an aunt, actually a family friend who spent 3-4 months in Florida every year to as far back as I remember. She was telling me about key limes once and told me they were yellow when ripe. I looked through a couple of bags til I found one with just a couple of green fruits. One thing about it the couple of green ones I had definately zested different than the yellow ones.

Dave W. I am pretty new at this. If you are talking about the lemon, I can tell you I have been dippin into mine for about 2 weeks now and it is still powerful strong. It has mellowed some but to me it still has a big bite. My key lime that I have been talking about is strong but a whole lot more mellow than the lemon is. The lemon has been done at least a week longer than the key lime. So actually I don't know exactly how much more mellow it will get but I am willing to bet it stays a pretty strong drink.

I have been sharing my cello with a couple of guys at work. I started with the lemon. I ask their opinion on it. They say they like it, it's really strong, pretty much same thing I was saying. The one guy finished like a pint in about a week and the other guy's wife finished his about the same time. I took both of them another pint of the key lime Monday. The one guy came into work this morning and told me he finished the key lime last night. He said he really likes the key lime. I had to run to Indiana the other night for some more everclear. I even picked up a bottle for him so he can make his own cello. I will try the grapefruit this weekend. Hopefully it will be ready to add the syrup to the honeybell this weekend.

Thanks again Mike for this recipe. It is fun and it is tasty. I really like trying different fruits.
 
I was just passing something along that I found out when I had some problems with my tree.
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I realize this--and it was precisely in that spirit I took it. I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts.

Though my diminished crop this past season was due to the freeze, I agree (and admit!) that lack of pruning or improper pruning can do the same thing. It is hard being gone from home most of the time yet maintain the stuff that needs to be maintained. Other things--animals, fencing, wells, gates, and numerous other things--vie for my time when I am home and prioritizing by desire goes out the window. It becomes a need/time thing.

Anyway--i failed to get a good look at my calamondin crop over the holidays. I did promise a case to a chef in Vegas...not sure what I have at the moment but if I have enough for even a few bottles of calamondin-cello I'll let you know. It's a very interesting flavor to me, a definite favorite. Since you like the Key as much as I do it seems, I'd be interested in your impressions of the calamondin. The process for making it is a bit different. If the fruit is there I'll let you know and we'll go from there. Likely a week or three before I am next home.
 
Hi Kevin, Jeff, and Dave.
We don't have Key limes over here in Malta. Haven't been online very often lately, but have been following the Lemoncello story. I finished y latest batch about 6 weeks ago. Made with the local lemons that have a very thin skin. No treatments at all. Wonderful flavour. Anyway, just to confirm that it keeps on mellowing for many weeks after bottling. I won't usually touch mine until at least 6 weeks after and usually I try to leave even longer. Are also using a very sour orange (similar to Seville) that I have found being grown by a friend. That has also produced a great drink. They also have their own variety of Blood Orange and that has worked great as well. I didn't think when I started this tread that it would carry on this long. Bye for now. Keep drinking.
 
I sure have enjoyed all the most recent comments. Especially since it is "'cello-making season" again. I also really like my key lime, but I just used rather green limes, so it must be really awesome with riper, yellow ones. I do think these mellow with age, and I like that "Everclear kick", which is still not overbearing, to me.

Going to try some more exotic citrus now; just ordered some Rangpur limes. Kevin, I'm curious as to how the calamondin process is different, as I may want to try that too.

Bill in Bay
 
Kevin, I know what you mean. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

I have been trying to figure out what a calamondin is. There is a wiki on them. Sounds very interesting. Says makes a good potted plant. I am going to have to look a bit closer and see if I can find plants or seeds.

David, I used 8 grapefruits when I did my zesting. My grapefruit has been in the syrup for a week. I had to try it yesterday. I thought the key lime was excellent, well the grapefruit is outstanding. Very tasty indeed. I never figured that grapefruit would be my favorite. Well so far anyhow.
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The honeybells and second batch of key lime are ready to be strained and syrup added to it. It is funny, when I strained the grapefruit it pretty much filled my strainer and the key lime just had a small amount down towards the bottom of the cone. The lemon was in between the 2. All have been very flavorful. as a matter of fact so far my lemon has the sharp taste of the everclear still present while the grapefruit and key lime the everclear is not sharp and prevelant. Maybe the lemon will smooth out given time. I will just have to see.

Bill I must have gotten lucky with the wally key limes. My latest batch I bought 36 key limes (2 bags) and only 3 were green and a couple still had a bit of green to them. My first batch I had 6 green limes and I didn't even try to zest them.
 
Fruit Selection Update: I may have hit upon a new favorite, if the fragrance while I was zesting is any indication: Rangpur lime. Using the juice later in a pie (substituting for key lime) also had a wonderful result... I am pretty excited about this one. Looks like a little mandarin (brilliant orange, but rounder), but yes, the flavor is closest to lime, but still unique. It will be hard to wait for the whole process!

Bill in Bay
 
Those are great fruits. I have sought decent trees for some time but have not found any. It should make a superb 'cello. (They are mandarin-lemon crosses.)

I am not sipping the primarily tangerine (with zest from a couple grapefruits and a couple Key limes). Very tasty.
 
I still haven't got around to making this, I keep forgeting. Has anyone tried using Honey instead of sugar for the simple syrup? Just an idea.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Some states bar the sale of grain alcohol
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Add PA to that list.
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Just got back from the State Store and talked to a guy there about grain alc. He said PA banned the sale of it about 5 years ago, seems the college kids had a thing for it and were dying left and right from binge drinking the stuff. He said he thinks MD still sells it, I'll try to find out on line if they do. I came home with 100 proof Vodka, my only option at the moment.
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I'm leaning towards doing a Lemon, but grapefruit sounds good also.
UPDATE: A Google search turns up Graves Grain Alcohol 190 proof is available in MD.
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Road Trip for some grain and might as well get a open pit beef sammie while I'm down there, NO?
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Bryan,

I think it is getting tougher and tougher to find Everclear. I would suggest searching for it online, which has worked for me. But then the next challenge is getting someone who will ship to PA. My one buddy has wine shipped to me here in Ohio and then we get together every so often for his "deliveries".

Bill in Bay
 
Well I got a batch going using reg store bought lemons and a 750ml bottle of Smirnoff tripple distilled 100 proof Vodka. My local store Stauffer's, had good sized lemons, 6 for $2.99 so I bought 2 packs of them. I used my veg peeler to remove the outer skin, worked rather well, hands didn't cramp up at all which is rare for me these days.
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One thought on the whole waxed skin thing. If you are just taking off the thin outer layer with no white won't all the good stuff extract out the cut side verses through the outside of the skin? Seems even if you didn't get the wax off of the outer skin, it'll still extract out from the cut side. JMO
As for the grain alcohol, as soon as it gets a little warmer, I'll hop on the Harley and scoot down to MD. I can be at Johnston's liquor store which is right across the PA/MD line in about 45-50 min from my house.
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Yes, it will extract from the cut side.

With vodka extraction takes longer than with full-proof grain alcohol, more like the times noted in the recipe on page 1, though 3 weeks seems to be pushing it to me. (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; I don't find that sort of time necessary for thin zests--more like 2-3; less if using high-proof grain. In any case, longer won't hurt. Lexx is going 40 days with his vodka-based liqueur and it sounds and looks terrific.)
 
Kevin, I would also guess that how one zests their fruit would also play a role in extraction times. If one uses a veg peeler, like I did, I think the extraction would take the longest. If one used a zester or a mini plane grater I would think those would extract really fast because of the small shavings. I had though about mashing/bruising the skins before adding the vodka, but did not. Not like you would using a mortal and pestal but just some light mashing to break some of the cells in the skins, which happens using a zester or fine grater.
 
I just added the simple syrup to my batch of strained grapefruit. The color looked awesome, very yellow clear until I added the sugar mix. I am looking forward to sampling.
I use a mixture of grain alcohol and vodka for my recipe. The lemoncello is very good with this mixture.
 
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