Homemade Limoncello
This recipe for this homemade limoncello liqueur requires three simple ingredients and a little bit of time. Make authentic limoncello with fresh lemon peels, sugar, everclear (or vodka). You'll end up with perfect Italian limoncello that can be put in a spritz or my favorite dessert: limoncello tiramisu.
Servings: 6 (6oz bottles of limoncello)
Cost: $6
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 small saucepan
- 4 (6oz or 8oz) bottles ,for storing/gifting
Ingredients
- 750 ml vodka
- 8 lemons
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Peel the lemons and add their skins/zest to a glass container. Pour in the vodka and close to seal. Place it in a cool and dark place for at least two weeks, ideally a month. Every few days give it a shake.
- When the limoncello concentrate is ready, make the syrup. To a medium pot, set over medium heat, add in the sugar and water. Cook until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to the fridge to chill, at least 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the limoncello, being sure to press down the lemon skins to release any of the limoncello. Discard the skins. Mix together the cooled simple syrup and the limoncello concentrate.
- Transfer them to glass bottles and place labels. I divided them amongst six (6-ounce) bottles.
- To make the spritz, add ice to a glass. Pour some limoncello in the glass along with some sparkling water and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks:
- Using Meyer Lemons: I've made this using meyer lemons and I find that less sugar is needed. Meyer lemons tend to be sweeter than their regular lemon counterpart. I scaled the recipe down by 1/4 to make a less sweet limoncello.
- Leftover Lemon Juice? Make lemonade! And make my Strawberry Lemonade Sangria. Use the excess lemon juice to make homemade lemon curd. If you have any leftover whole lemons, make some Preserved Lemons.
- If your limoncello is cloudy pour the limoncello through a nut bag or a few coffee filters to really get it crystal clear. I used a fine-mesh strainer and it was perfect.
- Grain alcohol vs. Vodka: I prefer to use grain alcohol (Everclear), this extracts the flavor from the lemon peels much better than regular vodka. However, I've made it both ways, and if you want to use vodka, feel free to do so. It still ends up pretty delicious!
- Vodka Type: Look for 80 proof vodka. 100 proof vodka is ideal but it definitely tends to be more expensive than 80 proof. Both will work great!
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
