Benvenuti Nelle Pagine Gianuzz

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This recipe is based on information that I gathered from two different pizzeria/cafe owners in Pinetamare, Italy, a small town just north of Naples.  I was there for a 1 month assignment in the summer of 2001.  It has been tested and perfected by myself and some co-workers (Dennis and Jim). Try it and enjoy it.  The main ingredient, grain alcohol, is not available in every state.  If it is not available in your area you may be able to find Limoncello at your local liquor store, in the "Liqueurs" aisle.  I prefer Toschi.  Never buy Limoncello not produced in Italy.

One of my web-site visitors used this same recipe to make Arancello.  To do this, you should use 400 grams of Orange zest instead of Lemon zest.  To see his comments, click here and scroll down to 13 Sep 2002.

For a tasty variation, try Crema di Limoncello.

• Kitchen Scale - marked in ounces and grams, Wal-Mart, $3.86
• Lemons - about 15 average size (buy 20, just in case)
• Sugar - pure cane sugar, only, at least 600 grams (small bags are 900 grams, no problem)
• Cheese Grater - get a tall 4-sided one, you will need the side meant for very hard cheeses
• Bottled Water (for the purists) - One liter
• Everclear - One liter of grain alcohol (rocket fuel), 150-190 proof depending on your location.
• Cheesecloth - for straining

You need 300 grams of the zest of some lemon peels. This is the outermost portion of the lemon peel. To do this, run the lemons (15-20) over the prickly part of the cheese grater (see above).  Leave as much of the white stuff on the lemon as possible, as this will cause the drink to be bitter.  After you have accumulated at least 300 grams (this will take about 30 minutes) place it in a glass bowl, pour the Everclear over it, and let it "relax" (this was the Italian translation for 'soak') for 36-48 hours. Cover and let it sit at room temperature (Jim insists that the final twelve hours should be in the refrigerator). Don't worry about having "too much" lemon zest.  You can never have too much.  If you feel truly industrious you can make lemonade with the naked lemons.  I did this, once, and you'll definitely need some of the remaining sugar.

Note: You can find hundreds of recipes for Limoncello on the net (mine is the best, of course).  Many suggest allowing the mixture to 'relax' for 1-3 months, or more.  This may be necessary if you use a knife to get the yellow-most portion of the peel.  If you zest the peel, as I describe above, you should reach total 'relaxation' much quicker.  Basically, it becomes a function of how long you want to wait and how long your current supply will last!

After the mixture is as relaxed as it is going to get, open the cheesecloth (at least 3 layers thick) and lay it in the bottom of another bowl.  Pour the yellow alcohol and lemon peel mixture into the cheesecloth.  Pick up the cheesecloth, let it drain into the bowl, and squeeze as much of the remaining alcohol out of the lemon peel as possible.  If you need help call your wife, your girlfriend, or both.  Squeeze. Throw the lemon pulp into your garbage disposal and the cheesecloth into the trash.  The lemon pulp will make your disposal smell nifty and the cheese cloth will make your garbage the envy of the neighborhood.

Pour one liter of water into a stainless steel pot, on the stovetop, turn it up to about 8.  As the water starts to get hot, turn the heat down to about 6, to prevent the water from boiling.  Add a little sugar, stir it until the water is clear, then add some more.  Repeat until you have dissolved all 600 grams of sugar into the water. The volume of the water will increase noticeably.  Turn off the burner.  Allow this 'simple syrup'  to cool.  This prevents 'flash evaporation' of the alcohol, when it is added. [Recommended by Mary Clark.  Thank you, Mary.]

Mix the alcohol with the simple syrup, stir. Bottle it and place in your freezer. While you are doing this, you should also put some small sipping glasses into the freezer.

Several hours later, remove the bottle and the glasses. Pour a small amount of the contents of the bottle into the glasses, sip, enjoy.

Leave the bottle in the freezer.  This liqueur should only be served cold from the freezer.

This page has proven to be the most popular single page on my site.   As a matter of fact, many visitors come directly to this page, bypassing the home page.  Apparently, there are a lot of people looking for a Limoncello recipe. 

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