Sipping Your Way Through December — Day 20
/Welcome to Day 20 of The Wine Chef’s Advent Calendar selection.
Today’s tasty sip is limoncello, Italy’s iconic lemon liqueur that tastes like pure sunshine in a glass.
Below is the recipe I followed to make my first batch of limoncello. It was the height of summer, and it allowed me to pretend I was back on the Amalfi Coast, where my family and I vacationed in Minori the previous summer. While there, we fell into an easy nightly ritual: walking from our villa into the town and settling in by the water for the “golden hour,” sipping limoncello spritzes while nibbling on delicious spreads of antipasti as the sun dipped into the sea.
But limoncello isn’t just a warm-weather treat. Served neat, it’s a warming tipple on cold winter nights, and in cocktails, its vivid lemon flavor lifts and brightens every other ingredient. However you enjoy it, the homemade version below captures that unmistakable Mediterranean freshness. . . no plane ticket required!
That said, it’s officially too late to make limoncello for the holidays since it needs time to properly infuse. If you’d rather buy a bottle, I’m a fan of Il Gusto di Amalfi Limoncello ($40) and Lucano Anniversario Limoncello ($28), two beautifully balanced options.
Limoncello Recipe
Ingredients
10 organic lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle vodka (preferably 100-proof)
4 cups water
2 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar, to taste
Instructions
Peel the lemons, removing only the yellow zest and as little white pith as possible. Trim away any large pieces of pith, but don’t stress about getting every last bit.
Infuse the vodka: Transfer the peels to a 1-quart glass jar, cover completely with vodka, and seal tightly. Let steep out of direct sunlight for at least 2 weeks and up to 2 months—the longer it infuses, the more intense the lemon flavor.
Strain: Line a strainer with a large coffee filter and set it over a 4-cup measuring cup. Strain the infused vodka, stirring gently if the flow slows.
Make the syrup: Bring 4 cups of water to a simmer and stir in sugar until dissolved (you can add up to 3 cups of sugar, depending on how sweet you like your liquers). Let cool. Add the syrup to the infused vodka and stir gently.
Bottle and chill: Using a funnel, transfer the limoncello to glass bottles. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or in the freezer for up to 1 year (or longer).
