Authentic Italian Limoncello Recipe (Homemade)

This authentic Italian limoncello is the recipe my Italian family taught me to make: a bright Sorrento summer in a glass, smooth and intensely lemony with no bitter notes. It takes just 3 simple ingredients and the patience to let the peels cure for 50 days (give or take), and then rest another month more after bottling. That's it!

Why This Recipe Works

• It uses real pure grain alcohol, not vodka. True Italian limoncello is made with neutral 90 to 95% rectified alcohol, which extracts the lemon oils cleanly and leaves no competing flavor. Vodka makes a nice lemon vodka, but it isn't limoncello, and Italians would never dream of making it with vodka (if this matters to you).
• A longer 50-day cure. Most recipes rush the steeping process to 2 to 4 weeks. A longer infusion pulls more fragrant oil from the peels, so the finished liqueur is deeper, smoother, and more intensely lemony. A little patience goes a long way.
• Zest plus extra peels. I like to use a mix of full peels and zest using a Microplane grater to ensure there is no bitter pith.
• It comes from my Italian family. This recipe is adapted from Cousin Rosi's in Abruzzo, with inspiration from Nonno Franco's (Bassano del Grappa) on the other side of the family, and balanced over my own batches here in Italy to be smooth and perfectly sweet.

In 2014, I was given a homemade limoncello recipe from Nonno Franco (Luca's sister's father-in-law, seen in the photos below). His limoncello is delicious but very sweet, so I knew when I eventually made my own, I would add less sugar.

I put this project on the back burner until this past summer, when we spent time in the family home in Abruzzo for vacation. We visited Luca's family as always (they're amazing cooks!). And after a delicious dinner, his cousin Rosi brought out her homemade limoncello and Ratafià di amarena (a local Abruzzese cherry-based liqueur made from amarena cherries and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine, which is also amazing).

The limoncello was perfectly sweet and smooth, and we loved it! The Ratafià was sweet and just a little tart with an intense cherry and red wine flavor. She graciously sent us home with a bottle of each (photo below).

Both Nonno Franco and Cousin Rosi shared their ingredient measurements. I've used Rosi's as inspiration for this limoncello recipe, and although my recipe varies slightly from hers, she deserves all the credit for this one. It's balanced, smooth, perfectly cloudy in the early stages, not too sweet, and super lemony just the way we like it.

Why You'll Love This Authentic Italian Limoncello Recipe

• It's simple to make and takes about 20 minutes to prepare
• You can adjust the alcohol content to suit your preferences
• You can decide just how sweet or not sweet you want to make it
• It uses extra lemons for an even more lemony flavor
• Makes a perfect gift for the holidays
• Can be used to make desserts or cocktails (like adult lemonade)
• Use the leftover juice to make lemon curd or homemade lemonade
• It uses organic Italian lemons (but any good regular organic lemons or organic Meyer lemons work perfectly)

And while limoncello was born on the southern coast, you'll find it made all over Italy. Living here, I've learned that different families have their own recipes from Abruzzo to the Veneto, each with small tweaks passed down. The lemons and the exact ratios of sugar shift from region to region, but the soul of it stays the same.

This recipe pulls from the family versions I've tasted firsthand, all the agriturismi and restaurants' homemade versions I've tried, and the high-end bottled commercial versions.

What is Limoncello Made From (what kind of alcohol is in limoncello)?

Limoncello is made from lemon peels, sugar, water, and flavorless, odorless 90-95% (ABV 56 to 64 proof) pure rectified alcohol (aka pure grain alcohol). The reason this is used vs another type of alcohol is that it doesn't impart any flavor the way a vodka might (and also so it doesn't freeze when you chill it in the freezer).

Only the peels or zest are used to flavor it, and careful attention is paid to not including any pith (the white bitter part), which ensures it's a very smooth and never bitter liqueur.

However, if pure grain alcohol is not available to you (like Everclear 151-proof), then the next best thing to that would be a high-quality vodka.

Just know that it won't taste the same because vodka has its own distinct flavor, and the lower alcohol content means it needs longer to extract the oils from the lemon peels. The alcohol percentage in finished limoncello is usually anywhere between 20% and 35% alcohol.

What Kind of Lemons is Limoncello Made From?

Limoncello in Italy is made made using a variety of native regional lemons like Sorrento lemons (aka"Citrus Limon") belonging to the "Rutaceae" family.

They're extremely fragrant with a bright, distinct flavor (not unlike the Femminello Santa Teresa lemons grown in Sicily) from being grown on terraced coastal mountains, which gives them abundant sunlight and unique soil and growing conditions.

These lemons have characteristically thick rinds and are usually large. Sorrento lemons go by many different names depending on which region they're grown in, but true Sorrento lemons are cultivated only within the small IGP (internationally protected geographic area) region of the Sorrento Peninsula and the island of Capri.

Below are some of the names they go by:

• Limone di Sorrento
• Massese Limoni
• Ovale di Sorrento
• Massa Lubrense lemons
• Massa Lemons
• Limone di Massa Lubrense
• Sfusato Amalfitano
  

How is Limoncello Meant to Be Drunk?

Limoncello is a digestivo typically served after a nice dinner. In Italian restaurants (especially trattorie and osterie), it's often house-made and offered for free at the end of your meal. It's served very cold (kept in the freezer or refrigerator), but not over ice, and is sipped on (never taken as a shot or gulped down). Instead, it's meant to be savored.

Is Limoncello High in Alcohol?

Limoncello is typically high in alcohol with an ABV of 56 to 64 proof. So if you're wondering, "Does limoncello get you drunk?", technically yes, it could if you drank too much of it. This is not a drink that's meant to be consumed in large quantities.

Instead, a ½ ounce is just about right (that's about half of a shot glass full). If you happen to love this liqueur's lemony flavor but find it to be too alcoholic (even when sipping), make your own homemade limoncello and adjust it to your liking. This allows you to adjust the alcohol content and the level of sweetness you prefer.

Why is My Limoncello Bitter? 

Limoncello is made using the peels of lemons (the yellow part that contains all of the fragrant natural oil of the lemon). Care must be taken when removing the zest or the peels to avoid also removing any of the bitter pith (the white part just under the skin of the lemon).

If too much pith is left on the peels when you add them to the alcohol to cure limoncello, it will infuse it with bitter notes. You'll still be able to drink it, but it won't be as smooth or enjoyable.

3 Homemade Limoncellos at a Glance

Not all limoncello looks the same, and that depends on a few factors (see photos above). Everything from how many lemons you use, how long you let them steep with the alcohol before adding the simple syrup, how much simple syrup you add, the ratio of sugar to water you use to make the simple syrup, and finally, how old your limoncello is, all make a difference.

Regardless of all of these factors, limoncello should be a bit (or a lot) cloudy at first, with this happening just after you add the simple syrup. It goes from crystal clear bright yellow to a cloudy color instantly (almost milky as it looks in this recipe). Over time, it will become less cloudy.

Why You Should Use Organic Lemons to Make Homemade Limoncello

When making homemade limoncello, the zest and/or peels of the lemons are added to the alcohol and left to cure (steep) for a period of a few weeks and up to a month or more. During this curing time, the alcohol is pulling every single element from the lemon peels, and it's being infused into the alcohol.

This means that if you use regular lemons from the grocery store, not only will the wax that these lemons are treated with end up in your final liqueur, but you'll also be drinking the pesticides that the lemons were sprayed with.

Seek out organic lemons when making homemade limoncello to avoid having wax or pesticides in your finished liqueur. It's worth it.

Homemade Limoncello Ingredients

• organic lemon peels/zest (i.e., Sorrento lemons (Citrus Limone), Sicilian Femminello Santa Teresa lemons, Meyer lemons, Lisbon or Eureka lemons, OR just regular organic lemons from the grocery store, hard skins so you can easily peel and zest them)
• 90-95% (ABV 56 to 64 proof) pure rectified alcohol (like Everclear (or 151-proof pure grain alcohol that's 75.5% alcohol by volume or ABV or Golden Grain). As a last resort, use a high-quality vodka, but this isn't limoncello, it's lemon vodka)*
• granulated sugar
• water

NOTE: Finding 90-95% pure rectified alcohol (aka pure grain alcohol) can be difficult to find and is even illegal in some places. As a last resort, you may use high-quality vodka, which can be found just about everywhere. If you're using vodka, it will produce a great-tasting lemon spirit, but it won't taste like Italian limoncello.

How to Make the Best Homemade Italian Limoncello 

Making limoncello at home means you can make your own adjustments, like increasing or decreasing the amount of sugar or adding more water to make it less alcoholic.

You can also decide how long to cure the lemon peels in the alcohol. Thirty days is the minimum, but it only gets better the longer it sits, which is why I cure mine for a full 50+ days.

And once you've strained the peels and added the simple syrup, you can either chill it and drink it right away or let it rest. I'd wait at least 30 days, though! Letting it go a little longer always tastes better and more like what you'll actually find here in Italy. That said, making your own means you get to decide.

Step 1. Zest & Peel the lemons. Wash the lemons well under warm water and dry with a clean towel. Zest 7 lemons using a microplane and peel the remaining 3 lemons, being sure not to include any pith (the white bitter part). If you see any pith on the peels, remove it by using a small, sharp paring knife to scrape or cut it away.

Step 2. Cure the lemon zest/peels in alcohol. Add the zest and peels to a large glass jar, add the alcohol, and allow to cure (steep) for 50 days (or at least 30 days). Give the jar a shake every day or every other day or so.

Step 3. Make the simple syrup. Add the sugar and water to a small pot and heat it over medium, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Step 4. Combine the infused alcohol with simple syrup. Using a fine mesh strainer (or coffee filter or cheesecloth), strain the zest and the peels from the infused alcohol and discard (or reserve them to make limoncello sugar). In a large clean jar or pitcher, combine the alcohol and the simple syrup and stir well. *See recipe notes for how to adjust the limoncello for sweetness or to have a less alcoholic limoncello.

Ways to Customize Homemade Limoncello

• Add the seeds from one vanilla bean to the simple syrup for vanilla limoncello
• Add a few pinches of cinnamon to the simple syrup to make cinnamon-limoncello
• Use oranges or bergamots instead of lemons
• Make it sweeter or less alcoholic
• Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to make it tart (it won't technically be limoncello, but it'll taste really good!)

More Easy Italian Recipes

Enjoy your homemade limoncello after dinner with a slice of tiramisu, or with any of these delicious Italian recipes!