Back when I was younger, my old neighbor Frank used to make some wine at his house and had a bunch of people over to help during the summer months. So, I’ve always been interested in the process of making drinks. In fact, my first interaction with limoncello was when one of Frank’s family members brought over a homemade bottle. I didn’t get to try it since I was too young, but I always wondered how to make the drink and since I like lemons, I figured I’d eventually make my own batch at some point, and well here we are!
My limoncello tastes very similar to the one I used in the Mint Julep Iced Tea recipe. I think mine is a little bit stronger due to me using a stronger alcohol base, but I could always dilute it more if needed later. The coconut didn’t really add too much to the flavor since the lemon is just so present, but I think it adds a nice subtle toasted sweetness that goes well with the sour lemon. Also, I think it helped clear out the liquid since it never really got cloudy, but that could also be because I grated the lemon zest rather than peeling it. And
This is actually my first time making this drink, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how simple it was. I really enjoy how easy it is to experiment and try different combinations of fruits and flavors to create a unique limoncello. For example, I used normal simple syrup for this batch, but you definitely can experiment with different infusions such as lavender simple syrup, which I think would go amazing with the lemon flavor. You can also add the flavors earlier in the process and infuse it with the lemon peels like I did with the coconut. Some ingredients I recommend trying are strawberries, raspberries, and/or mint. You can even try out different citrus fruit peels such as oranges or limes and I’m sure it’ll turn out great!
But, whatever you decide to add, I definitely recommend giving this as a gift to those who enjoy lemon flavored drinks since it gives you a way to add a nice personal touch, adding to the specialness and uniqueness of the gift! And you’ll probably make more than you realize, so it’s definitely a good way to give away your extras. Just make sure to set some time aside to let the flavors infuse and develop.
Ingredients:
- 1 750mL bottle of Everclear (or if you can’t find it cuz apparently it’s illegal in some places, you can substitute with vodka, but try to get as high of a proof as you can since that will help with extracting the most flavor)
- 10-12 lemons worth of peels
- ~3 cups of sugar
- ~3 cups of water
- (And if you want to just make normal limoncello, that’s all you need, but I’ve got a whole bunch of shredded coconut that I want to use from a previous recipe, so I’ll be using about a cup of the shredded coconut as well)
Special Equipment:
- A couple of glass bottles
- A funnel
- A mesh strainer
- Some paper towel or a coffee filter
Step 1: Wash & Peel/Zest Lemons
First, we’ll want to get the lemons peeled, so before we start peeling, make sure to give the lemons a wash. Also, I want to give my limoncello a bit of a toasted flavor from the coconut, so preheat your oven to 350 deg F if you wish to as well.
Then, with a zester or vegetable peeler, peel off the yellow portion of the lemon peel without cutting into the white portion. The white pith is really bitter and even just a little bit will make your limoncello taste bitter so try to be as careful as possible. This process might take a little while, but thankfully the rest of the steps are pretty easy.
We just need the peels for this recipe, so use the leftover peeled lemons for another one of my recipes!
Step 2: Toast Shredded Coconut
Once your oven is done preheating, place your shredded coconut onto a baking sheet and toast it for 5 minutes, give it a stir, and then toast it for another 5 minutes, or until it browns to your liking.
Step 3: Add in Lemon Peel & Other Infusion Ingredients to the Alcohol
Once your lemon peels and toasted coconut are ready, grab your empty glass bottles and evenly distribute your peels and coconut into the glasses based on the size of your bottles.
You can probably use the bottle your alcohol comes in, but you might need to make room for the extra material and you will eventually make more liquid later so I would just grab a second bottle.
Speaking of which, grab your Everclear and evenly pour it into your glass bottles.
Step 4: Seal Up Bottles & Store Them in a Cool, Dark Place
Then, seal up the bottles and let the alcohol, lemon peels, and coconut infuse somewhere out of the way and out of direct sunlight for at least 4 days or as long as a month.
You can give it a taste after a little while to check the flavor, but the longer you wait, the more flavor will be imparted to the alcohol.
Step 5: During Waiting Period
During this waiting period, I recommend giving the bottles a shake every once in a while to make sure things are still infusing and so that the sediment doesn’t dry out.
You can also give it a taste throughout the waiting process to check how the infusion is going, but because we are using very concentrated alcohol, definitely don’t grab too much, because it’s going to taste mainly like rubbing alcohol.
Step 6: Filter Out Solids from Infused Alcohol
But, once you are done waiting for your lemon peels to infuse, we’ll begin the process of turning it into limoncello.
First, we’ll want to filter out our liquid from the solids, so to do this, grab some paper towels or coffee filters and place it in a mesh strainer and place this in a funnel and place this over a cup or bottle.
You’ll probably want to filter this a couple of times to get everything super clear, so it might take a little while, but just keep repeating this step until you’re satisfied.
Step 7: Create Simple Syrup
While this is happening, we’ll prepare the simple syrup to sweeten and dilute the alcohol. In a saucepan, add in your water and sugar and heat this over medium heat, giving it a stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Let this simmer for 5 minutes or so and then let it cool. You can adjust the ratio and amount of sugar and water depending on your tastes and your desired alcohol percentage, but I think this is a good amount.
Step 8: Mix Alcohol & Simple Syrup
Once your simple syrup is cooled and your lemon peel-infused alcohol is filtered to your liking, to your storage bottle or jug, add in your infused alcohol and then pour in your simple syrup.
Close the bottle and then give this a shake to mix everything together. Or give the mixture a stir in your jug and then pour this into a bottle for storage.
Step 9: Let Limoncello Rest in Freezer & Enjoy
At this point, your limoncello is pretty much done.
Though, I recommend letting it rest for another week or so, to let the simple syrup fully infuse into the drink which will mellow out the sharpness of the alcohol, but if you can’t wait, I recommend at least chilling it in the freezer for a few hours before drinking it.
You can also give it a taste now to check the sugar levels but remember that there’s going to be a bit of a bite to it that will go away as it infuses, so if it tastes sweet with a taste of lemon peel, it should be good.
But, with that, your Limoncello is ready to drink.