Make your own Limoncello this holiday season with just 3 ingredients! Serve it with soda and a splash of cranberry juice or bottle it up for the cutest and cheeriest homemade gift!
Homemade booze! Okay so I didn’t peel the potatoes, ferment and distill the vodka, but it’s still nice to be able to say I’ve made Italian liqueur from scratch :). I’ve been having a lot of fun in the kitchen this month, concocting recipes that can also be offered as Christmas gifts. I’ve made some festive super nutty chocolate bark, age defying matcha tea salt and now limoncello.
Making something from scratch can be a powerful way to let your friends and family know much you love them. To me, cooking something from scratch is the ultimate sign of love because we feed the ones we care for. And since I’ve already made a dessert and some seasoning, a good batch of limoncello seemed in order.
Table of contents
Making Limoncello
You only need three ingredients to make limoncello: lemons, vodka and sugar. But you will at least need 10 days to make this recipe.
- Steep the lemon peels in vodka. The lemon peels need to steep in the vodka for a while to flavor it. And the longer you leave it (up to 40 days), the better your limoncello will be.
- Make a quick simple syrup. Equal part syrup with sugar and water. Once the sugar has melted wait until it cools to room temperature. Then add it to the flavored vodka and give it a stir.
- Enjoy drinking it. That’s the best part, isn’t it? Really, the hardest part of the recipe is to wait until it’s time to drink it!
I let my batch sit for 30 days and my lemon peels were virtually white when I took them out of the jar! All the beautiful, fragrant oils infused the vodka giving it a golden, almost burnt caramel hue.
How To Serve Limoncello
The traditional way to serve limoncello is chilled as an after dinner digestif. However, I like to serve mine together with a selection of beverages so guests can make their own cocktails.
I suggest using 1-2 oz per drink and mix it with muddled berries, soda water, fresh lemon juice, lemonade, cranberry juice or iced tea. Cheers!
Other drink recipes with a holiday cheer:
- Pumpkin spice latte
- Strawberry thyme Prosecco floats
- Rosemary ginger whiskey sour
- Peppermint mochaccino
Did you like this Limoncello Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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How To Make Limoncello
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Make your own Limoncello this holiday season with just 3 ingredients! Serve it with soda and a splash of cranberry juice or bottle it up for the cutest and cheeriest homemade gift!
Ingredients
- 10 lemons
- 750 ml vodka (at least 80 proof – like Smirnoff or Absolute)
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (add an extra 1/2sugar for a sweeter limoncello)
- 2 cup water
Instructions
- Wash the lemons using a brush and a little soap to remove the waxy layer and pesticides. Rinse well and dry with a cloth.
- Zest the lemon using a zester or peeler and gently peel the skin. Try to peel as little of the white part as possible as it will add unwanted bitterness to your limoncello.
- Put the zest in a 1 liter jar and add vodka. Seal and let sit for 10 to 40 days in a dark, cool place. The longer it sits, the better and more flavorful the Limoncello will be.
- Put a coffee filter in a strainer and strain the flavored vodka into a bowl or jar.
- Put the granulated sugar and water in a pot on low and stir until sugar had melted. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add sugar syrup to the flavored vodka and stir.
- Using a funnel, pour the limoncello into a bottle or several small bottles for individual gifts.
- How to serve Limoncello:
- Use 1oz limoncello per drink and serve with seltzer, cranberry juice, fresh lemon juice or lemonade.
Notes
There are roughly 35 shots in this recipe. Serving size is 1oz (1 shot).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fluid ounce
- Calories: 69
- Sugar: 7.5 g
- Sodium: 0.7 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Could u do this with other fruits as well and if so wich ones would you recommend
Hi Anna,
I don’t know if other fruits would be good for this recipe. I know some people who will infuse their vodka with figs and other ingredients, but I’m not sure if they are using the same process.