Easy 2-Week Homemade Italian Limoncello is like sipping ice cold sunshine. Bright, sweet and smooth, this classic Italian liqueur only takes two weeks to make from start to finish. Whip up a batch for a special celebration or homemade holiday gifts. Or simply enjoy as you sip to your success with this recipe.
Jump to RecipeRich lemon flavor in a short amount of time
Until now, I’ve had two Limoncello recipes that have served me well over the years. They are very different, but each is delicious in its own right.
The first is a recipe my sister discovered (and was kind enough to share with me) over a decade ago. This recipe uses grain alcohol (151 proof is the highest alcohol content you can purchase here in Michigan). And although it produces the best color in terms of that signature cloudy lemon yellow that Limoncello is known for, it is too strong for me personally. Besides being a total light-weight, I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing irreparable damage to my esophagus when I’m sipping it. This recipe also has a 5-week waiting period. Honestly, that’s just torture for me. It’s delicious, but it’s just too strong and too long for me.
The other recipe I’ve had in my collection only makes me wait for one week. And it calls for a lower alcohol content vodka as the base. However, although it calls for more lemons than the first one, it’s still not as lemony as I’d like at the end of the day. I believe this is due to the shorter infusion time and because of that, it remains clear and never achieves the louche effect of signature Limoncello.
While developing this recipe for Easy 2-Week Homemade Italian Limoncello, I was driven by three distinct motivations. I wanted something that delivered a bit of warmth on the way down, but didn’t put me under the table. I also wanted a richer lemon flavor in less time. And I wanted it to louche!
When life gives you lemons…make Homemade Italian Limoncello
Whenever I’ve made Limoncello over the years, one thing that always haunts me is what to do with all that leftover lemon juice. I’ve always bottled and even frozen it, but its flavor degrades with time. This recipe for Homemade Italian Limoncello incorporates more flavor into the recipe by using fresh lemon juice in the simple syrup. And in doing so, it helps to reduce the overall wait time in the process.
Simple syrup is essentially equal parts water to sugar that has been boiled until the sugar crystals dissolve and a syrup is formed. This recipe replaces a portion of the water with fresh lemon juice – boosting the lemon flavor of the liqueur while reducing the time the lemon peels would have to steep in the alcohol. It also frees up a lot of space in the refrigerator, which is always a bonus in my book.
What do I do with all those lemon peels?
Whatever you do, don’t throw them out! These boozy little bites of citrus can be substituted for the fresh lemon peel called for in my recipe for Lemon Cranberry Slice Cookies. They can also be used as a garnish for beverages or candied and used in other baked goods such as panettone or cinnamon rolls.
If you’ve never candied citrus before, check out my post on how to make Candied Citrus Peel. Homemade is so much better than store bought and it’s not difficult at all.
The louche effect (pronounced, loosh!)
I referenced the term, “louche” earlier. Italian Limoncello is known for its cloudy, almost creamy appearance. This effect can also be found in other alcoholic beverages. Perhaps best known is the transformation that takes place with Absinthe.
The louche effect (also knows as the ouzo effect) occurs when ice cold water is slowly introduced into certain spirits. Without getting too far into the chemistry weeds, when you introduce cold water to spirits that contain some essential oils, an emulsified suspension is formed between the water, the alcohol and the oils.
This fascinating food science fact is beautifully demonstrated in a Serious Eats article by Kevin Liu, titled, Why Does Absinthe Get Cloudy? In this recipe for Easy 2-Week Homemade Italian Limoncello, the chilled simple syrup delivers a similar effect when introduced to the lemon-infused alcohol. The result is a deliciously opaque, creamy appearance that Limoncello is so well known for. For this recipe, the daily shaking of the alcohol and lemon peel mix is crucial to releasing the essential oils in the peel. The more oil, the better the louche.
Homemade Italian Limoncello – gift worthy and meant to be shared
I’ve always had a soft spot for homemade gifts. If someone gives you a homemade bottle of Limoncello, they are not just proudly sharing their bounty with you. They are telling you how truly special you are to them. Making Limoncello is a labor of love. Gifting a bottle of this Homemade Italian Limoncello is a declaration of love.
You can find a variety of sweet little bottles at your local craft store. But honestly, I often save unique vinegar or olive oil bottles and just buy new corks for them. Before filling your bottles with your Limoncello, be sure to wash them out thoroughly with soap and water. To ensure they are sterile, you’ll want to submerge them in a pot of water and bring them to the boil for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Be sure to allow the bottles to cool completely before filling them though. Once the bottles are filled, the Limoncello should be stored in the freezer.
Limoncello is best served ice cold and will keep for up to one year in the freezer.
Easy 2-Week Homemade Italian Limoncello
Course: LibationsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate4
750 ml. bottles1
hour30
minutes10
minutes14
days totalThis recipe yields four 750 ml. bottles and one 375 ml. bottle of Limoncello.
Ingredients
- Stage 1 – Infuse the vodka with the lemon peels
16 lemons, preferably organic
1.75 Liters of 80 Proof Vodka (40% alcohol)
- Stage 2 – Make the simple syrup
3 cups fresh lemon juice
3 cups water
7 cups white granulated sugar
pinch of salt (1/16 tsp.)
- Stage 3 – Bottle the limoncello
An assortment of clean bottles for bottling the Limoncello.
Fine wire mesh strainer
Reuseable gold or stainless coffee filter
Directions
- Stage 1 – Steep the lemon peels in vodka (day 1 – 7)
- Wash and dry the lemons. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons. Make sure to only get the yellow part of the rind – not the white pith. See notes at the bottom of this post on the peel vs. pith.
- Place the lemon rind and vodka into an airtight, glass container and let stand at room temperature for one week. Give the glass jar a vigorous shake every day to agitate the vodka and lemon peel.
- Juice the lemons and save for use in stage 2.
- Stage 2 – Make the simple syrup (day 8)
- In a large stock pot, combine the lemon juice, water, sugar and salt. Over medium heat, bring the simple syrup to a gentle boil. Stir constantly to help the sugar has dissolved. Approximately 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow the simple syrup to cool to room temperature. Transfer the simple syrup to the refrigerator to chill down. Approximately 2 hours.
- When the simple syrup is cold, slowly add it to the vodka and lemon peel mixture. Stir to incorporate completely. Cover and allow to sit together overnight.
- Stage 3 – Strain and bottle the limoncello (day 9 – 14)
- Using a stock pot or another large clean container, pour the Limoncello through a fine wire mesh strainer first to remove the lemon peels. This is the first strain. Save the lemon peels for another use. The booze-infused peels can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month).
- Working in batches, now pour the first strained Limoncello through the coffee filter into a separate container. During this second strain, any remaining fine particulates will be filtered out. If your coffee filter starts to get too clogged, shake it out and continue. After the second strain, the Limoncello is ready to be bottled and stored in the freezer.
- Allow the bottled Limoncello to rest in the freezer for another 6 days. Shake the bottles daily. The flavor of the Limoncello will mellow slightly over the course of the second week.
- Limoncello is ready to enjoy and share on day 15. Store in the freezer for up to one year. Serve very cold.
Notes
- Note: Use only a glass container when steeping the lemon peels in the vodka. Plastic and metal flavors can leech in to the alcohol giving your Limoncello an off-putting flavor in the end.
- Why is it important to only get the yellow peel and not the white part of the rind? The pith (white part) is bitter and will make your Limoncello bitter. Try to avoid getting any of the white when peeling your lemons. The flavor and color are found in the yellow part of the peel, not the white pith.
