Limoncello Recipe - How Italians Make It

4.90 from 38 votes

Limoncello Recipe - How Italians Make It

The best Italian Limoncello recipe and everything you need to know about the limoncello making process, ingredients and tools you need. This recipe makes about 4 bottles (17 oz)

Prep Time20

Resting Time7

Total Time7 20

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 79kcal

Author: Svi

Ingredients

Lemon Infused Alcohol

8 big organic lemons or 9 small lemons
750 milliliters pure grain alcohol 190 proof/ 95% vol approx 3 cups + 2 tablespoon (see notes if you're using 1 litre or 1.75 bottle)

Sugar Syrup (makes 1350 ml or a little over 5 ½ cups)

2 ½ cups white sugar 550 g
4 ½ cups water 1080 milliliters

Extra Syrup For Milder Limoncello (a little over a cup)

⅓ cup white sugar 75 g
1 cup water 240 milliliters

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler or a small sharp knife, peel off the lemon zest as thin as possible. We only need the yellow part. If you happen to cut any white pith together with yellow zest, just trim off any white spots with a sharp knife.
8 big organic lemons
Place all the lemon peels in the jar with alcohol.
750 milliliters pure grain alcohol 190 proof/ 95% vol
Leave to macerate for at least 7 days, best 3 weeks or more.
Make sure to keep the bottle out of direct sunlight.
Prepare sugar syrup. Mix water and sugar in the pot saucepan. On a medium heat continue to stir in the sugar until it’s completely dissolved. Let the syrup to simmer until boiling. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
2 ½ cups white sugar, 4 ½ cups water
In a large saucepan/mixing bow/ or a container add lemon infused alcohol. Continuously stirring start adding the sugar syrup. Once you’ve added 5 cups taste. Limoncello will be pretty strong. Add more sugar syrup and taste again.
Add more sugar syrup for a milder taste, reduce it for a stronger limoncello.
I don’t recommend diluting the alcohol base too much.
Once you’ve reached the perfect flavor, bottle your limoncello in glass bottle using a funnel.
Chill in the freezer for at least a few hours before serving.

Notes

Make extra sugar syrup only if you want a milder Limoncello (less alcohol - about 30% abv or 60 Proof). You can either make extra syrup apart or all together when you prepare the sugar syrup.

Fresh made Limoncello reaches its perfection in a few days after bottling.

Quantities when using 1 liter (1000 ml) bottle:

1 litre 190 Proof Alcohol
12 lemons
1800 ml (about 7 ½ cups) sugar syrup made with 730 grams (3 ⅓ cup) sugar + 1440 grams water (6 cups).
This recipe makes about 2.8 liters of Limoncello or 94 fluid ounces.
This quantity will fill 5.5 (17oz) bottles or almost 12 (8oz) bottles.

Quantities when using 1.75 litre bottle:

1.75 litre 190 Proof Alcohol
21 lemons
3150 ml (about 13 ½ cups) sugar syrup made with 1280 grams sugar + 2520 grams water.
This recipe makes about 4,9 liters of Limoncello or 165 fluid ounces.
This quantity will fill almost 10 (17oz) bottles or 20 (8oz) bottles.

Nutrition