How to make limoncello at home - a classic Italian liqueur recipe

Tell me how to make limoncello at home? My sister got married and left for Italy, but she comes to visit, although very rarely. So, on my last visit, I brought a bottle of this drink with me. I can tell you, the taste is amazing, and the aroma is beyond words ... My sister left, the bottle remained, empty, of course, but I studied the composition on the label. It seems that all the ingredients at home are there, and alcohol, and lemons, and sugar. Now what to do with them to get such a delicious limoncello?

It is sweet and refreshing at the same time, and has a slight tart note, and the lemon scent completely overpowers the alcohol component. This is a traditional drink of sunny Italy - limoncello, with the taste of which no store-bought liquor can be compared. If you are wondering how to cook limoncello at home, then you need to understand that it is unlikely that you will be able to reproduce exactly that Italian taste. In the homeland of the liqueur, special varieties of lemons are used for its production. However, this is not so important, since homemade limoncello will also be tasty and aromatic. But you will have the opportunity to regulate its strength and make either a delicate liqueur for women, or a stronger drink for the strong half.

What is Limoncello

The real Italian limoncello is a liqueur, and it is quite expensive. Most often in our stores they sell him a pitiful likeness. Yes, it is more affordable, but the taste is very different. Instead of a refreshing note, these liqueurs are usually sweet, although they smell like citrus.

The original limoncello is prepared not only from special varieties of lemon, but they are also insisted exclusively on food alcohol with a strength of 95.6%. At the same time, the proportions are carefully adhered to, both with respect to the alcohol component, and sugar and water. The classic liqueur has a strength of about 35%, and the ratio of alcohol, water and sugar is 1: 1.2: 0.8.

How to make limoncello at home - a classic Italian recipe

Homemade, so to speak, liqueur brewing is good because you can raise or lower the degree by slightly changing the proportions and "adjusting" the drink to your taste.
The very same technology for making homemade limoncello is quite simple:

1. Wash 10 large lemons, wipe them dry and remove the zest. For liquor, only the zest is needed, without a white shell - it will add bitterness to the drink. It is convenient to cut the zest with a special knife for peeling potatoes.
2. Put the zest in a jar and fill it with a liter of alcohol (remember that it must be special alcohol, food grade, 95.6% strength).
3. Close the jar tightly and place it in a dark place for maceration - soaking the zest in alcohol. In Italy this is done within a month, but at home 1-2 weeks will be enough. You can understand that the maceration has been successfully completed by coloring. The alcohol will turn yellow, and the zest itself will turn pale and also become brittle.
4. After soaking, strain the alcohol and prepare a sugar syrup with 1.2 ml of water and 800 g of sugar.
5. Mix the cooled syrup with alcohol (it will become cloudy, but this is how it should be), tightly close the bottle. Place in a cool, dark place for at least a month.

In a month, your limoncello will be ready. Store it in the refrigerator.

Limoncello on vodka