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!

How To Make Limoncello

Name: How To Make Limoncello
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Italian
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

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.

To me, this year is about giving presents that took time and love to make because I feel like we could all use an extra hug. We spend so much of the year busy with work, worrying about our health, finances and other personal issues. We often forget to pamper ourselves and to tell the ones who really matter the most, how much they mean to us.

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.

You only need three ingredients to make limoncello: lemons, vodka and sugar. But you will at least need 10 days to make this recipe.

That’s because 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.

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.

The next step is to make a quick simple 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. Then… You. Are. Done.

Easy? Ya. Very.

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:

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!