Easy Homemade Limoncello liqueur
It's easy to make homemade Limoncello...all you need are four ingredients and time. Intensely lemony and sweet, a little goes a long way!Adapted from Jo-Lynne Shane
Equipment
- quart mason jar
- funnel
- sealable glass bottle
Ingredients
For the base
- 6 lemons, see Recipe Notes
- 1 bottle vodka, or another grain alcohol, see Recipe Notes
For the simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Make the base: Wash the lemons and remove the zest with a peeler, avoiding the white part (pith). Cut away any pith that ends up on the peels if you cut too deeply.
- Place the zest in a quart mason jar and pour over the vodka. Seal the jar tightly and give it a good shake. Let it sit for 1 to 2 weeks, shaking daily. The longer it sits, the more flavor you'll get from the zest...when the peels lose color, the infusion is ready.
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, squeezing the zest to get all the liquid out.
- Make the simple syrup: Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring occasionally. Cool the syrup to room temperature.
- Add the syrup to the limoncello base. A little warm syrup makes a nice cloudy limoncello.
- Using a funnel, pour the liqueur into a sealable glass bottle.
- You can store the limoncello in the freezer in warmer area (like on the door). Alternatively, keep chilled in the refrigerator. Longer aging means more intense flavors.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
Notes
Not to waste anything, you can juice the zested lemons and save it for another use.
Use a vodka you like to drink. You can also try infusion a different type of grain alcohol for a different flavor profile.
Limoncello is intensely lemony and sweet, and a little goes a long way!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 1-oz shotCalories: 30 kcalCarbohydrates: 8 gProtein: 1 gFat: 1 gSaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 1 mgPotassium: 28 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 7 gVitamin A: 4 IUVitamin C: 11 mgCalcium: 5 mgIron: 1 mg