Homemade Limoncello is super easy to make. You can bottle it up to enjoy for yourself, or use small bottles and give as gifts. I include a free printable of my limoncello label for you to use. You can even use oranges to make Orangecello!
One of the many perks of living in Southern California is definitely the mild weather. We don’t have harsh winters (sorry) and all that warm sunshine means we can grow lots of great produce. And for my family, it’s the blessed lemon tree right in front of our house that brings us much joy. This lovely lemon tree always confuses my father-in-law because it is frequently covered in lemons, blooms and buds at the same time all year long. This endless, or nearly endless, supply of lemons is welcomed in my family of lemon lovers.
We typically use the juice and add it to our soups, salads, marinades and stews. We make lemonade, lemon bars, lemon cake and anything else lemony we can think of or desire. But it’s the precious zest, the yellow part of the peel, that is often overlooked and under appreciated. Lemon zest contains tremendous lemon flavor and aroma thanks to the oil in this part of the skin. And if you need a recipe that will use this precious lemon zest, in mass abundance, then this recipe for homemade limoncello is for you.
Limoncello is an Italian liqueur that is very easy to make. It is basically a lemon infused alcoholic beverage. You remove the zest of the lemons, in big chunks, I use a vegetable peeler, and immerse these peels in a bottle of everclear alcohol. Now everclear is hard to find, especially here in over-regulated California, so we just use vodka. You let the everclear/vodka infuse with the lemon peels for at least 4 days or up to 30 days in a cool dark place. I typically infuse for 10-14 days and keep the bottle in a cabinet.
When ready, you pour the mixture through a strainer to separate the lemon peel from the alcohol. The longer the peels infuse with the alcohol, the more lemon flavor your liqueur will have. If you want a lemon infused vodka, you can stop the process right here. But to make homemade limoncello, you need to add a sugar syrup to it.
How sweet you want your limoncello is up to you, but typically limoncello is a sweet drink. I don’t like it candy-sweet, so I use 3 cups of water with 2 cups of granulated sugar for 1-liter of infused alcohol. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your personal taste. Just make your simple syrup, let it cool and add it to the lemon-infused alcohol.
Traditionally, limoncello is served very cold so you can store it in your freezer or refrigerator. You also don’t drink limoncello by glassful. You will get sick and plastered in no time because of the high alcohol content of this stuff! Limoncello is served in small shot-glass sized ceramic glasses and served after dinner. Those with higher tolerances can certainly enjoy more!
My husband and I love giving homemade liqueurs to our friends (they don’t seem to mind) so you can easily bottle them up in small jars or bottles. If you like the labels I made, you can get them here and print them up for yourself!
Homemade Limoncello
Homemade Limoncello is easy to make. Bottle it up to enjoy yourself, or use small bottles to give as gifts. You can even use oranges to make Orangecello!
Ingredients:
- 15 lemons
- 1 L everclear alcohol or vodka*
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cup water
Directions:
- Wash with hot water:
- 15 lemons
- Using a vegetable brush scrub lemons to remove residue and wax
- Pat lemons dry.
- Using a potato peeler or zester, take all or the lemon rinds off the lemons so there is no white pith on the rind. Only remove the yellow, otherwise limoncello will be bitter.
- Place lemon rinds in a large container and pour over it with:
- 1 L everclear alcohol or vodka*
- Cover the container and let it sit for at least 10 days and up to 40 in a cool dark place. No need to stir during that time.
- Strain the peels from the alcohol and discard the peels.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat stir together:
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cup water
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and cool.
- Add sugar mixture to the alcohol.
- Store in the freezer until ready to serve.
Notes:
Serving Suggestions: Limoncello is traditionally served cold, in small ceramic shot glasses. It is served in small quantities as an after-dinner drink due to it's high alcohol content.
Cooking Tips: * 100-proof vodka can be used instead of Everclear. It can also be made with oranges instead of lemons, or with a combination of the two.
Prep Time:
Yield: approximately 2 quarts
Cook Time:
Total Time:
This recipe can also be made with oranges in place of or in addition to lemons to make an Orangecello.
Oh my gosh! I have always wanted to make this and now I know how!! Recipe is printing as we speak and now I have a delicious weekend project! Thank you Laura!!!
Yay! I’ve made two massive batches so far this year, because our lemon tree is so full! Hope you enjoy it!
Laura I have decided to make this as Valentine Gifts for a few close friends. I’ve seen your overloaded gorgeous lemon tree in the front of your house. My question is : is it better to use Meyer Lemons due to their natural sweetness or regular lemons for their tartness?
Thanks my friend!
xo
Lori
Hi Lori! You are too funny! Remember, you are only using the peel for the vodka infusion. Meyer lemon peel is thinner than regular lemon peels, but should still infuse great flavor. I used regular lemons for this recipes, but I have seen limoncello recipes that use Meyer lemons. I know the fruits have different sweetness and sourness levels, but I don’t think the zest varies that much in flavor. Whether you use regular lemons or Meyer lemons, I still recommend slowly adding the sugar syrup to get the final product you like. Good luck!
Looks delicious and refreshing too! Perfect for get together!
Wish lemon trees would grow in my Minnesota backyard!