Limoncello

As promised long ago, I’m posting a recipe for limoncello. I’ve finally abandoned all of my crazy ideas about building my own blogging framework and just started using GitHub Pages with Jekyll. I can finally write content without developing code at the same time.

My wife and I have been making this stuff as Christmas presents for three years. It’s been a big hit and I think we’ve finally hit upon a recipe that has the broadest appeal. We’ve reduced the alcohol content from it’s original 45% down to a more “reasonable” 35%. One note of warning before you try this yourself: every batch will be a bit different. The lemons you get one year might be slightly different, the humidity may alter the alcohol content due to evaporation, etc. As such, know that you’re going to have to adjust it a bit before you bottle if you want to really nail the flavor. The recipe below reflects this fact. These are simply the amounts that worked for us, this one time. If you want to be more careful, at the beginning go light on the simple syrup and (optional) lemon extract - it’s easy to add it later.

One last note: for a more comprehensive guide to making limoncello, check out LimoncelloQuest.

Guidelines

Here are some guidelines to help you manage the complexities of the process.

• This should result in about 6.1 gallons of finished product
• Resulting alcohol content should be around 35-38%
• 5:1 ratio of simple syrup to water, with simple syrup being a 1:1 ration of water to sugar
• Amount of lemon extract should be 2.34% of the amount of booze present after straining zest (see below)

Ingredients (amounts derived from guidelines)

• 132 organic lemons
• 2⅞ gallons Everclear left after straining out lemon zest (see below). Original amount of booze was about 3 gallons.
• .782 gallons of water
• 3.91 gallons of simple syrup
• 8.625 oz (51.75 teaspoons) of lemon extract

Notes on Ingredients

• Make sure to use organic lemons. Non-organic lemons are sprayed with chemicals that will be absorbed by the alcohol sitting on them for months. I haven’t tried it with non-organic, but I’m playing it safe
• We use some cheap Polish grain alcohol instead of Everclear, but any pure grain alcohol should do
• I’ve heard you can use vodka (why not?), but you will have to adjust the rest of the ingredients to stay in line with the guidelines
• Use bottled water. For the same reason you use organic lemons, if your water has any off flavors, they will mess up the final product
• Make sure you use that bottled water for both the addition of straight water as well as in the simple syrup

Equipment

• A (preferably new) water filter. I use one of those Brita pitchers with a brand new filter installed. You’re gonna beat it up
• A microplane. Although if you have more than one person available, get one for each person - the zesting takes a long time
• Airtight containers - enough of them to fit the final product
• A dark place to store those containers for months

Process

1. Run the booze (that’s the 3 gallons mentioned above) through a Brita filter four times. That takes a while, so at the same time zest the lemons, carefully avoiding including any pith
2. Divide the zest evenly among 4 1-gallon jars. Divide the booze also and pour it over the zest. Seal the containers
3. Let it sit, swirling the jars occasionally to stir the zest, for two or three months
4. Strain out all of the zest and see how much booze is left (that is the 2⅞ gallons mentioned above). Adjust the recipe accordingly
5. Add the simple syrup, water, and lemon extract. Let it sit overnight, with a little bit in the freezer. Then use the bit in the freezer for tasting and adjust until it tastes right
6. Bottle it

Happy Drinking