Limoncello Is Only 3 Ingredients But Making It Takes Time

Sunny yellow, sweet, and sour limoncello is a delicious Italian digestif. Digestifs are meant to be enjoyed after a meal to aid with digestion, and limoncello is no exception as far as many Italian diners are concerned. You may be familiar with the store-bought variety, but this lovely liqueur comes together easily at home with only three ingredients.

Technically are actually four ingredients to making limoncello: lemons, sugar, vodka, and, most importantly, patience. In other words, you can't put this together in the morning and expect to serve it to guests that very same evening. However, like many good things, homemade limoncello can be well worth the wait.

Homemade limoncello is typically made by zesting fresh lemons and adding them to a bottle or jar filled with vodka (10 lemons per one liter of vodka is standard). The zest is allowed to infuse into the vodka for one week. After a week, a syrup of four parts water and three parts sugar is added. Then, the mixture must sit for another two weeks before it's filtered into another bottle. With just a little effort and some time, you'll be enjoying homemade limoncello after three weeks.

It's not just the infusion that takes a bit of time, as carefully removing the zest from the lemon requires patience as well. It's important that you avoid incorporating the white pith of the peel as much as possible, as it will add a bitter taste to the final product. And, of course, give the fruit a rinse first and make sure you remove any produce stickers from the peel. A good scrubbing will also remove any wax that may have been added to the fruit. 

Limoncello should be poured straight from the freezer in order to ensure that it's well chilled before serving (the vodka will keep it from freezing over). If you really want to impress your guests, serve it to them in small limoncello glasses for visual effect, as you likely know the right kind of beverage or cocktail glass can make a real difference.