• I used mineral water, but you can use filtered or regular tap water as well.
• I ended up using 1 1/2 ounces (43 grams) of lemon zest and peels just to give you an idea of how much lemon zest and peels should be added per 500ml (17 ounces) of alcohol.
• Avoid a bitter limoncello by making sure you remove all of the white part (the pith) from the peels. Or use a Microplane to zest the lemons and avoid any pith at all which ensures a smooth non-bitter limoncello.
• Most recipes call for peeling the lemons, but I prefer to zest the majority of them to avoid any bitterness, and also to release the oils right from the start which I think helps jumpstart the curing process.
• Do not add sugar directly to the limoncello because it will never dissolve. If you decide you want a sweeter limoncello after you’ve already added all of the simple syrup, just mix up a little more simple syrup using a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water (sugar 2 : water 1). This will make it sweeter without diluting the alcohol too much. Just be sure to record any additions so you’ll have the measurements the next time you make limoncello.
• If you’d like a less alcoholic limoncello, you can achieve this two ways: simply add additional water to taste (this will also dilute the sweetness), or if you want to maintain the sweetness, but want a less alcoholic taste, add additional simple syrup made with a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water. Just be sure to record any additions so you’ll have the measurements the next time you make limoncello.
• Be sure to give the lemons and alcohol a shake every day or every other day. This is less important if you’re using pure grain alcohol, but really important if you’re substituting vodka.
• Technically the limoncello is delicious and ready to drink on Day 51 just after you’ve finished it and chilled it, but if you let it go for 30 more days, it gets even better.
• This is a great recipe to make and give as gifts for the holidays like Easter, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Just be sure to plan 2 to 3 months ahead so it’s ready when you want to gift it.
• Use Sorrento lemons (Citrus Limone), Sicilian Femminello Santa Teresa Lemons, Meyer lemons, or Lisbon or Eureka lemons, OR just regular organic lemons from the grocery store with hard skins so you can easily peel and zest them.

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!)

Ways to Use Dicarded Lemon Peels

Make Limoncello Sugar

You can use the leftover lemon peels or zest to make limoncello sugar. In my homemade Sicilian Lemon Sugar post, I add the zest of 3 to 6 fresh lemons to 1 cup of sugar for a brightly flavored sugar.

1. When you make homemade limoncello, instead of discarding the leftover lemon peels add them to 1 cup of sugar (or your desired ratio of sugar). Place the mixture into a glass jar, seal it, and store it in a cool dark cupboard to “cure” for at least a couple of weeks.
2. For the first week, stir the sugar mixture about every other day.

Pro Tip: Add the zest from at least one fresh lemon along with the spent limoncello peels which contain fragrant oils to help brighten up the flavor of the limoncello sugar if desired.