Artisan Italian Limoncello
Homemade Italian lemon liqueur made by macerating organic lemon peel in high-proof alcohol, then blending with a cooled sugar syrup and aging before serving frozen.
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Piatto Recipes- •8 to 10 lemons Organic lemonsUse only the peel/zest; amount should yield about 100 g lemon peel
- •100 g Lemon peelZest/peel only, avoid bitter white pith; may use a touch more
- •1 l High-proof neutral alcoholIdeally over 90% ABV for extraction; amount used depends on target final 32% ABV and total 1 liter yield
- •270 g SugarFor sugar solution (syrup)
- •517 g WaterMeasure by grams for precision; for sugar solution (syrup)
- 1
Zest organic lemons, collecting about 100 g of lemon peel (avoid the white pith). Put the zest directly into a clean glass jar with a tight seal (about 1 liter capacity).
15 min
- 2
Add high-proof neutral alcohol (ideally >90% ABV) to fully cover the lemon peel. Seal the jar.
2 min
- 3
Macerate to extract lemon oils: about 5 to 7 days (as little as 3 days with near-pure alcohol).
144h 0m
- 4
After maceration, filter the lemon-alcohol extract until crystal clear.
5 min
- 5
Prepare the sugar solution: combine 270 g sugar with 517 g water and heat gently (no need to boil) until the sugar is fully dissolved (around 50°C).
10 min
- 6
Let the sugar solution cool completely, then add it to the filtered lemon extract. The mixture will turn bright yellow and naturally turbid. Adjust the amount of extract used to reach a final 32% ABV and about 1 liter total volume.
10 min
- 7
Bottle the limoncello.
5 min
- 8
Refine/age the bottled limoncello for 3 weeks at room temperature to mature and integrate aromas.
504h 0m
- 9
Chill the bottle in the freezer before serving.
4h 0m
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