How to Make Limoncello At Home

You know the old saying…when life gives you lemons make limoncello! Or something like that. This is a fun, easy to make liquor. When it’s hot, we enjoy it on the rocks with some club soda poured over to make a fizzly adult beverage. Others like to store the bottle in the freezer and sip it ice cold. No matter how you like it, it’s easy to make a batch so you’ll have some for yourself and some to give as gifts. It takes about three weeks to prepare a batch so if you start now, you’ll have some ready to serve at Thanksgiving. Read on to see how to make limoncello at home.

Materials and ingredients to make about 2 quarts of limoncello

• Lemons, of course. Since you will be extracting the oils from the peels, consider purchasing organic lemons. Use 10 lemons if large, 12 if smaller. You’ll only use the peels. I juiced my lemons. The juice kept for a couple weeks in the fridge before it lost quality.
• 750ml bottle of vodka. Top shelf not required, I used a mid priced Polish vodka we find to be very smooth.
• Peeler or sharp paring knife. This is to remove the peels and cut away the bitter white pith.
• 2 quart jar or bottle. I used a glass pitcher.
• Sugar. You won’t need this until after the lemon peels have steeped in the vodka. Adjust the amount to suit your tastes, anywhere from 2 to 4 cups for a single batch.
• Sealable bottles for gifts and/or storage (16 ounces is a good size for gifts…you’ll need 4 for a batch). Be sure to give them a good cleaning before use.
• funnel

There are tons of recipes on the internet for making limoncello, but they’re all variations of this one from Allrecipes.

How to Make Limoncello At Home

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Servings: 2 quarts

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 10 -12 lemons preferable organic. Peels cut into strips and pith cut away
• 750 ml vodka
• 2 - 4 cups sugar I used 3
• 4 cups water

Instructions

• Combine the lemon peel and vodka in a jar. Cover loosely and let set for a week.
• After a week, combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil without a lot of stirring. Continue to boil for 15 minutes or so until it's like a thin syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
• When cool, strain the lemon vodka into the syrup, reserve some of the peels.
• Get your bottles ready. Place a couple peels in the bottom and use a funnel to transfer the limoncello into the bottles. Seal and let age for another two weeks.

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If you have room, store the limoncello in the freezer. Many people enjoy it served in as a shot. Personally, I find it to be too sweet and prefer to mix it with club soda for a spritzer-y drink. If you’re feeling adventurous try these 3 limoncello cocktails from Food & Wine magazine. We like the Limoncello Collins.