The liqueur of the Sun

How to produce ô The limon

After a dinner based on fish, the tradition of the Campania region, which has now spread also to the other Italian regions, demands Limoncello after neapolitan coffee, instead of the usual liqueur. "Limoncello", the traditional liqueur distilled from lemon peel, comes from the provinces of Naples and Caserta and from the island of Ischia. Still today families in the Campania region, in addition to the traditional home-made tomato sauce based on "granny's recipe", also make their own "limoncello".

Typical product of this Region, the Limoncello is a natural liqueur with excellent properties, with an unique taste, scented, produced according to the most ancient recipe. It is an easy and simple composition, without the addition of colouring agents, stabilizing agents, additives or preserving agents, all this emphasizes the originality and the purity of the product, just like a long time ago.
The peculiar micro climate of the places of the Campania coast helps the growth of a lemon unique in its sort, of large pieces, with thick and very much scented peel and with superior properties. For ages, from this kind of lemon, the famous liqueur called 'limoncello' is extracted. It is obtained by soaking the peels of lemons cultivated and picked only to produce it.

The Limoncello must be served at room temperature or cold, like a digestive or an aperitif. An iced liqueur glass is an unbeatable digestive. It becomes a pleasent thirst-quenching drink when tonic water is added. It is excellent in champagne or in prosecco to prepare long-drinks. it is very pleasent on ice cream, on fruit-salad an on strawberries. We advice to put the bottle in the freezer, so to enjoy the Limoncello at the best.

Do you want try to produce your own "Limoncello"?

A few Ingredients, and plenty of time:  The ingredients for limoncello are simple and few, and making a batch doesn't require much work, but you'll need some time. Limoncello must steep for eighty days; start making it in summer so that it's ready to drink in the hot months to come.

To begin, you'll need a large glass jar - at least four quarts - with a lid. Or divide the recipe into smaller batches.  Choose thick skinned lemons because they're easier to zest.  You'll need about 15 medium to large fruits. Wash the lemons well with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any residue of pesticides or wax.  Pat the lemons dry and remove the zest.  A vegetable peeler does the job best; it gives you long wide strips of zest with hardly any of the bitter white pith.  If you do get some of the pith with the zest, carefully scrape it away with the tip of a knife.   Fill the jar with one bottle of the alchool and, as you remove the zest, add it to the jar.

Limoncello should taste like fresh lemons, not poor-quality alchool.  Also, the higher alcohol level will ensure that the limoncello won't turn to ice in the freezer.

Mix the ingredients and wait.  After combining the alchool and lemon zest, cover the jar and store it at room temperature in a dark cabinet or cupboard. There is no need to stir:  all you have to do is wait.  As the limoncello sits, the vodka slowly takes on the flavor and rich yellow color of the lemon zest.

After about forty days, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and cook until thickened, about five minutes.  Let the syrup cool before adding it to the limoncello mixture, along with the other bottle of alchool.  Cover and return to the cupboard for another forty days.  Then, simply strain the limoncello into bottles and discard the lemon zest.  You can store the bottles in a cupboard, but always keep on in the freezer so it's icy cold and you're ready to drink it.