The Limoncello liquor was born near Naples in the early 1900s Capri, Amalfi and Sorrento contend the authorship of a recipe that is more or less the same everywhere, with a few specific variations, to make a more or less spirituous liquor or more or less strong lemon flavor. The only variation out of the tradition that seems worthy of note is the possibility of adding 1 or 2 pods of vanilla in the infusion of lemon peels. If possible, you should choose the large lemons, with thick and wrinkled skin.
For 3 bottles of liquor.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 large lemons (9 or 10 if small)
- 1 liter of 95 °alcohol
- 1 liter of distilled water for food use (or natural mineral water with low mineral content)
- 800g of sugar
PREPARATION
- Thoroughly wash the lemons with natural water
- Peel them using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife: you should only use the yellow part, with as little as possible of the white part. The ideal amount of zest is about 300 g per liter of alcohol
- Cut the zest into small pieces and make an infusion in alcohol in a closed glass container. Leave it in a cool, dark place for 1 week, shaking the container once a day
- After 8 days heat the water (don’t boil) and make a syrup with all the sugar. Cool it down completely
- Mix the sugar syrup and the infusion of lemon peels, and let it rest for another 20 days in a cool dark place, shaking it 3-4 times
- Filter and bottle. You should sip it slowly, icy from the freezer