Authentic Italian Limoncello

Limoncello by Susan Irby — Limoncello Bottled and in the Freezer!

Authentic Italian Limoncello

I once was a chef in Italy. Yet, before becoming a chef in Italy, I first visited with a friend who introduced me to the luxury of limoncello. I remember arriving in Florence during the Pasqua season (Easter) and seeing the beautiful stores and cafe windows filled with color. Beautifully decorated cakes with the fleur-de-lis design, gorgeous egg creations, and oodles and oodles of brightly lemon-colored displays of perfectly bottled limoncello.

I had no idea what limoncello was. I did not know much of anything about Italy. But, as is customary, I was smitten immediately with the warmth of the people, the beauty of the history and surroundings, and awestruck by the romantic sensation that filled the air. From sidewalk cafes to strolls through the city to ahhhh, the most delicious flavors I had ever tasted, I was in love immediately and knew I would be back.

As I reflect on one particular drive to the Tuscan countryside, my friend and I stopped into one of his favorite restaurants. Mi dispiace (I’m sorry), the restaurant name escapes me at the moment. I remember sharing a delicately prepared dish of branzino with a side of linguine. For dolce (dessert), we enjoyed a decadent chocolate torte and he ordered for me, a glass of limoncello! He said, “Susanna, you must try this! In Italia, it is a digestivo.” Allora, I thought, when in Tuscany, perche non (why not)?! I love anything and everything lemon and it helps my digestive system, sure!

As I placed the glass to my lips, I could smell the aroma of a very strong liqueur. My first thought was “whoa, that’s strong!” My second thought was “well, let’s taste it!” And, so, I enjoyed my first sip of limoncello and just like the country of Italy, I was smitten by one of its delicacies.

A few years later, I decided to return to Florence and train as a chef. Following my passion for cooking, I secured a position as a Stage at Beccofino Ristorante and Wine Bar. The months that followed were some of the absolute best times of my life and upon return to the USA, I began teaching cooking classes, writing cookbooks, and testing all kinds of recipes. Included in my recipe curiosity, making limoncello!

By far the greatest secret about making authentic limoncello is the love, care and patience it takes to wait for the flavors to blossom. Sure, there are shorter, quicker versions, but the true Italian classic that I was taught takes 90 days to make. The second tip I can share with you is finding those delightful glass “olive oil” style bottles and sterilizing them! Making limoncello is not for the impatient. The flavors, the bottling, and creating a pretty label, putting it on to the bottle just right all takes patience and care.

A few recipe notes:
*The white part of the lemon is the pith and tastes bitter. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer yellow lemon rind, also referred to as zest.
*Personal flair, I like to wash the lemons the day before and let them dry overnight in the fridge.
*Personal flair #2, for a 1/2 gallon bottle of grain alcohol, I like to use at least a 1.5 to 2 gallon glass jar for marinating.
*Personal flair #3, I like to add all of the alcohol and lemon zest at the beginning. And, if I have an extra 750ml bottle of grain alcohol, I add an extra cup or two, just because. It’s fun. It’s like adding that final pinch of sea salt.
*Personal flair #4, I like to stir it together.
*Personal flair #5, I like to cover the sealed glass container with a fun apron. So, the mixture stays super dark, cool, and it makes the “reveal” all the more exciting. 🙂

Nutrition:
It’s grain alcohol, naturally infused lemon, and sugar water! The nutrition is in the love.

Salute’!

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a paid advertisement for Everclear. <<

Recipe

Authentic Italian Limoncello

Beverages

Classic, authentic homemade Italian Limoncello made with lemon, grain alcohol, and sugar water

Ingredients

15-20 medium lemons, washed and thoroughly dried
1.75ml grain alcohol such as Everclear
3 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
Airtight glass container, enough to hold all with room to stir easily
approximately 8 250ml clear glass bottles with cork top
Funnel
large fine mesh strainer such as a chinois is best or use whatever strainer you have
small fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of each lemon, taking care to avoid too much of the white pith.
Pour the grain alcohol/Everclear into the glass gallon+ size container.
Add lemon zest and stir to combine.
Seal glass jar and place on a shelf in a cool, dark area and cover jar with some sort of cloth.
Let sit, untouched, unopened, for 45 days.
In a large saucepan, heat sugar and water together, stirring consistently, over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
Let cool slightly.
Pour into the grain alcohol/Everclear and lemon zest mixture.
Re-seal the container and return to the cool, dark area and re-cover with the cloth.
Let sit, untouched, unopened, for an additional 45 days.
Remove jars from packaging, if needed, and remove corks if the bottles are corked.
Rinse the bottles with soap and water.
Place them in the dishwasher rack, upside down, overnight to drain completely and dry.
To sterilize the bottles, lay glass bottles flat on their side in the oven.
Heat oven to 230*F.
Allow bottles to "bake" in the oven for about 1.5 to 2 hours.
Turn off heat and allow bottles to cool slightly.
While bottles are "baking", unveil the limoncello.
If sugar has accumulated at the bottom, stir well.
Using a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth and large non-reactive bowl, gently strain off lemon zest by carefully pouring the mixture over the strainer and into the bowl.
Remove one bottle from oven.
Place funnel into bottle.
Place small fine mesh strainer over funnel and line with a small paper towel or cheesecloth.
Using a ladle, pour limoncello into the bottle, filling just to the top of the bottle, leaving about 1 to 1.5 inches of space at the top.
Push in cork.
Repeat until all bottles are filled.
To make them "pretty", I purchase label paper, create a label and paste them onto the bottle.
*NOTE: After zesting, juice the lemons. Place juice in an airtight container and use for other recipes such as vinaigrettes, or, I drink a shot of lemon juice every morning to stimulate my digestive flow. Another option is to freeze the lemon juice in the container or in ice cube trays.

Serves

about 8 bottles

Preparation Time (hrs/min)

1, 0

Cooking Time (hrs/min)

0, 20

Authentic Italian Limoncello