Limoncello | Recipe

I’ve drunk too much limoncello in Italy, but also not spent enough time in Italy drinking limoncello. 

One of my most memorable episodes was in my twenties on the deck of a tiny restaurant in Stromboli, overlooking Strombolicchio in the Tyrrhenian Sea. I think we had arrived for a late morning espresso and then lingered so long it became appropriate to abandon the espresso drinking for chilled limoncello. A hot sunny afternoon in mid-summer, on a tiny island where time stands still, the heat offset by an ocean breeze and the chilled limoncello … perfection.

Ingredients

• 4 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups (375ml) vodka
• 3 cups (750ml) water
• 1 1/4 cups (275g) sugar

Makes 1.25 Litres

Method

Wash the lemons well. Use a small sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the skin in strips, with as little white pith as possible.

Place into a glass jar with the vodka. Seal with a lid and store in a cool dark place for 4–6 weeks.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

Strain the lemon skins from the vodka, then stir the vodka into the sugar syrup. Place into a bottle and seal. Limoncello is best kept in the freezer and served cold.

Note: If you are using commercially grown lemons, wash well in warm water and rub with a tea towel to remove any wax.