Limoncello (Italian Lemoncello) or Orangecello

"Got this from a family I stayed with in Sorrento, Italy. Don't want to lose it. Can be made with either lemons or oranges. The Italian tradition is to use lemons since they are so abundant in the Almalfi coast. Americans showed me how to make this low sugar/low carb by substituting "spenda" instead of sugar."
 
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Ready In:
1440hrs
Ingredients:
4
Yields:
2 bottles
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ingredients

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directions

  • Take a large glass jar.
  • Large enough to hold to bottle of 750ml vodka.
  • Add one of the bottles of vodka into the jar.
  • Save the other bottle of vodka for later.
  • Grate the zest of the 15 lemons into the jar of vodka.
  • Cover jar tightly and let sit at room temperature for 30-40 days.
  • The longer it rests- the better it will taste.
  • No need to shake or stir the contents- all you have to do is be patient and wait.
  • As the limoncello sits, the vodka takes the flavor and yellow color from the lemon peels.
  • After 30-40 days, take the sugar (or Splenda) and place into a pan.
  • Add the water and cook for about 7 minutes- until it becomes a thick sauce or syrup.
  • Let the sugar mixture cool.
  • Then open the lid on the jar of lemon and vodka mixture and add the sugar mixture into the jar.
  • Add the 2nd bottle of vodka.
  • Close lid on jar tightly and let it sit again for another 30-40 days.
  • After the 30-40 days has passed, strain the lemon peel (lemon zest) and discard the zest (peel).
  • Pour the remaining liquid, which is now lemoncello into bottles and place into the freezer until ready to serve.

Questions & Replies

  1. Mimi said she got this recipe from a family in Sorrento, Italy, but in Italy they use grain alcohol, not vodka. In the US Everclear grain alcohol is most widely used.
     
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Reviews

  1. Excellent recipe. I used Monopolowa Vodka and the 4 cups of sugar. At first I thought it could use a little more sugar, but I'm getting rave reviews from friends I shared the limoncello with.
     
  2. Wonderful! I put this up in late June and let it work 'til early November before tasting it. It was worth the wait. The only change I'll make when I do the next batch will be to cut the sugar down to 3 cups. This lot was a bit too sweet but I loved the flavor. Thanx for posting this great recipe. Pierre
     
  3. Hi I used Taaka Platinum triple distiled vodka 40% alcohol for my try at making this, im not much of a drinker so i wanted something lighter i could handle this was very easy to make and realy simple just waiting is the longest part. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Vixii
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Very busy nanny/au pair, working for a very rich and snooty family, in a very large home, in a very snooty village. Just in case my employer comes here, please don't ask where I am from, or I'll be sacked like the last nanny was. ;-) I take care of 4 gorgeous, and darling kids. 3 girls and a boy. The boy is the youngest (and my favorite). They are great children, very, very active. (Hyper) I love to cook. I guess that's a given, why else would I be here. Part of my job is also to prepare meals for the family. The more they like my food, the longer I get to stay. (just a little joke) On my day off, I usually go out to the cinema or some dance clubs with the other au pairs in this town. That's about it I think.
 
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