Homemade Limoncello Recipe
Posted on June 18th, 2012 by Becky || 46 comments
Three months ago my friend Carol and I started the process of making homemade limoncello. After three gatherings in the process, a pile of lemons completely hulled, all of our cuticles burning, and almost a bit tispy from taste testing, we’re finally done.
Making limoncello is a family event. Carol’s two girls even helped by zesting a pile of lemons. They, however, made homemade lemonade for their final product . Here are a few pictures of the process, special thanks to Carol, Tom, Laney, and Natalie for helping!
Limoncello is the perfect sipping drink for the summer time. As Josh pulls out some whiskey to sip on a late summer evening, I grab for a little limoncello over ice. This recipe has much less sugar than most, letting more of the citrus flavor shine. If you happen upon lemons in bulk you should definitely try this recipe. Though it does take a while for the complete process, its not too difficult and so rewarding to have some homemade liquor on hand to share with friends.
Ingredients
- 2 750 ml Vodka bottles (high quality 100 proof) 1.5 liters
- 17 organic lemons (ratio is 6 lemons per half liter)
- 3.5 cups sugar
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Wash lemons then zest the lemons and set aside. Filter the vodka (unless you bought already filtered). You can use a water filter for this. Combine zest and liquor into one gallon glass jar, screw lid on tight.
- 45 days later, shake the zest/vodka mixture up. Make simple syrup by boiling the sugar with the water until the sugar is dissolved. Add half of the simple syrup then taste and add additional syrup to taste. (I ended up only adding half of the simple syrup and it was sweet enough for me). You can always add more sweetness as you make cocktails with the limoncello later.
- 45 days later, filter the liquor through a screen mesh or permanent coffee filter, then through an unbleached paper coffee filter. Sterilize the bottles you plan on storing the liquor in. Pour the lemoncello into the prepared bottles using a funnel to prevent a mess. Finally, pour yourself a drink or hop in the car to deliver some lemoncello to your closest friends.
Note that we also tried a Meyer Lemon batch that ended up tasting like kitchen cleaner. So, go for the regular lemons and save your Meyers for a sweet dessert!












Thank you for posting this! Limoncello is one of those great housewarming/hostess gifts, and home-made makes it that much more special. I’ve been meaning to try making it for ages, and this recipe looks like a great one to try out.
Thanks Gina! I hope you’ll try it out. The results are way worth the time it takes!
Love the bottles! Where did you get them?
Thanks Kristy, we found them online at amazon.
I love the way you bottled it and you great logo. What a wonderful gift this would be.
oh this looks great! I fell in love with limoncello on my first trip to Italy, and make sure to buy some when I go back, its been a while and I am out so maybe making it myself will be my next project!
Looks soo good !!! We love Limoncelo and I think I am going to try make it myself. I just hope to find good quality lemons…Thanks for the recipe
Wow 90 days? Hard to wait
I tried a recipe from food network but it was way too sweet. I will try this one too! Thanks for sharing!
Just a little note on sweetness. You can make the whole suggested quantity of simple syrup but then only use about half of it then add in small amounts to your taste preference. We stopped at half of the amount because we prefer it less sweet.
[...] on June 27th, 2012 by Becky || 0 commentsWe’re starting off the summer right with homemade limoncello on hand. Summer cocktails and light citrus sipping on the patio are in store this season. My [...]
Nice! I posted a recipe for limoncello at: http://sarahsjoys.com/2012/04/02/limoncello/ It is the best batch I have ever made but after returning form Europe, where I sampled the real stuff again I think mine is a little bit too thick. I think I am going to rework the recipe and maybe try your ratio of 3.5 cups of sugar to 5 cups of water. I did find the Everclear is much better for making it though! You CAN get it in Utah….just have to ask the staff at the liquor store. They keep it behind the counter at the register!
Thanks for the tip Sarah. Also, we used half of the simple syrup that is in the recipe so ours is much less sweet than most. I figure you can always sweeten it up later!
I recently purchased meyer lemons from my local farmers market and was looking for a Lemoncello recipe so thanks and I look forward to making this. A restaurant I frequent serves a Lemoncello Lemonade which includes lemoncello, raspberry liqueor (like Chambord), lemonade, vodka and a splash of lemon-lime soda.
You limoncello lemonade sounds amazing! I will warn you thought that I tried a small batch meyer lemon limoncello and it ended up tasting like kitchen cleaner. But if yours turns out, I’d love to hear your recipe!
Love this idea and love the bottles. Perfect for giftgiving…thanks for sharing.
I have had italian lemon & orange sodas which are delicious…can you put a non-alcoholic twist on this for those of us who don’t drink? Thanks!
What about an infused lemonade maybe with lavender then topping it off with some sparkling water?!
The problem with using meyer lemons is that the zest layer is so thin, if you use a fine grater like pictured above, you’re bound to get a lot of pith too. And the longer the limoncello sits (45 days!), the more bitterness from the pith will get pulled out.
The best way to use meyer lemons for limoncello is to use a vegetable peeler to zest the lemons and scrape off the white parts with a knife.
Thanks so much for the tip on meyers!
Wonderful recipe! Been meaning to make this for awhile now and love the sound of your recipe. Where did you get your bottles if you don’t mind sharing?? They are adorable and would be perfect for gift giving. thanks again!
We found the bottles on Amazon for super cheap!
Thank you!
I too love the bottles. I would love to make the Limoncello but I MUST have those bottles!! I looked on Amazon and don’t see them. Do you remember what they are called?
Thanks so much.
oh dear. We might have bought the last bunch of them. Let me look around and get back to you on that!
I found the bottle you used on Amazon. Right now they only have one set left but it says “more coming soon”
http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Country-Assisi-Bottle/dp/B002IT6X2A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1342716439&sr=8-4&keywords=limoncello+bottles
Thanks so much Kathy! I know several people were interested in finding those too!
Here is the 17oz. set
http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Country-Assisi-Bottle/dp/B002IT6X20/ref=pd_sim_k_3
First let me echo all the previous comments RE: the bottles – they are gorgeous! What great packaging they would make for gifts!
Second (and I apologize if these have been asked/answered previously) – how long will this limoncello last? Should it be kept refrigerated (or at least out of direct sunlight)?
Also- I read through the recipe a few times and if I’m reading it correctly, you’re only using the lemon zest and not the juice – is that correct?
And – where should the mixture be stored while it’s sitting? Should it be refrigerated, or will the back of the pantry be okay?
Apologies for all the questions – if you can’t tell, I’m really excited to make a batch of my own!!!
LeeAnn,
First, thanks for stopping by and second, you are always more than welcome to ask questions here!!
You don’t have to keep this refrigerated but I would keep it in a cool dark place. We actually don’t have AC in our house so it gets pretty hot so we have kept ours in the refrigerator. It will last for a couple months in the refrigerator or in a cool/dark place.
While its sitting keep it in a cool dark place as well. Basement or something like that.
And yes, no juice, just zest. You will have A LOT of extra lemons so be prepared to make lemonade for the neighborhood!
Enjoy!
Becky – I want to be clear that at NO TIME during this process do you refrigerate this. Right?
correct!! You do not refrigerate. After the limoncello has been made you may refrigerate but during the process just store it in a dark cool place.
Hi! I’m so excited to try this recipe! Quick question – how much does it make? I know it depends on bottle size, but did it make 7 of your bottles (going off the picture?). Thanks!
I actually made a huge batch, like tripling (at least) the recipe, but this recipe should produce at least 6 small bottles.
Limoncello is such a wonderful gift, and with those bottles and logo even better. Great job!
[...] Homemade liqueurs like Limoncello [...]
[...] Homemade liqueurs like Limoncello [...]
We have been making limoncello for several years now and I would not reccommed zesting the lemons baecause you get to much pith. However if you can find an old time potato peeler like your mother used it works great for peeling your lemons. peel in long strips if possible and put in your jars and cover with vodka. Also we package ours in small bottles , glass is best but plastic will work, and we freeze them and use as needed. This works great for us as our crops of lemons come on all at once and we are sometimes overwelmed with the produce. Just take the bottle out of the freezer a few hrs before serving. We have found that the best lemon is the Ponderosa lemon and it used about 6 of the big ones. It seems to have the most intense lemon flavor. We have our whole neighborhood hooked on Limoncello. We also started some Key Limcello and anxious for it to be ready.
I have some limoncello and apple pie? made with Everclear 5 years ago that was sitting high on a shelf in a kitchen. Will it poison anyone at this stage?????
Made a batch for gifts and I cant begin to tell you what a hit it was! Starting another batch immediately.
wonderful!! Hope you got to enjoy some too!
[...] Homemade Limoncello - making this was a several month long process but enjoyable due to the fact that I made it with a close friend [...]
I just zested the lemons. I hope I did not get too much pith. Now it is resting for 45 days in a cool place (as cool as I can get it in my house), wrapped in foil to block the light. I only have 25 days after I add the syrup to let it rest. I guess I will have to take it in the car on our drive to Illinois and filter it there! I hope it turns out ok—-I have read that it should not be disturbed while it is resting! it sounds very good!!!
You would probably be okay to just continue to let it rest while on your trip then filter it afterwards. Let me know if you have any other questions along the way!
If I bottle my Linoncello and wax seal the cork tops of the bottles do I need to keep it in the freezer? Thank you
As long as it is in a cool dark place it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Bercky, I am having problems with waxing the top of my bottles, have tried sealing wax, candle wax and parifin wax and I still get leaks. I got my bottles at Michaels with the corks. If I would seal over these ones that are leaking with more wax will they mold?Just don’t know what to do next. Thank you Jeannie