🇮🇹 Italian recipesDrink
Limoncello
By Groceree
Also known as Limoncino
The zest of unwaxed lemons steeped for a week or more in vodka until it turns bright yellow, then sweetened with sugar syrup and chilled to ice-cold. The digestivo of the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.
Last updated
- Servings
- Makes about 850 ml
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 7 days 1 h
Ingredients
unwaxed lemons8
vodka500 ml
caster sugar200 g
water200 ml
Instructions
- 01
Peel the zest from the in thin strips with a vegetable peeler, leaving all the white pith behind.
- 02
Put the zest in a clean jar with the , seal, and leave in a cool, dark place for 7 to 10 days, shaking now and then, until the alcohol is bright yellow and the zest pale.
- 03
Heat the and until the dissolves, then cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- 04
Strain the infused , discarding the zest, and mix it with the cold syrup.
- 05
Bottle and keep in the freezer. Serve ice cold in small chilled glasses after dinner.
Notes
- Avoid the white pith completely — it makes limoncello bitter.
- The higher the alcohol, the more flavour it extracts; Italians use 95% grain alcohol and dilute more.
- At about 24% alcohol it turns thick and syrupy in the freezer rather than freezing solid, so keep it there.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 0 g
Estimated from the ingredients.
From a video to your shopping list
Saw a recipe on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube? Share it to Groceree and the ingredients land on the list everyone at home shares.
Find a recipe video
01Find a recipe video
Any recipe on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or a website.
Find a recipe video
Groceree02Share it to Groceree
Tap Share and pick Groceree. The app reads the recipe for you.
03The recipe is in the app
Ingredients, quantities and steps, ready to cook from.
04Pick what you need
Untick what is already in the cupboard and add the rest.
05It’s on the shared list
Sorted by aisle, on every phone at home, in real time.
More Italian recipes
- Butternut Squash RisottoRisotto alla zucca with butternut squash used two ways: half diced small and cooked into the rice until it melts and turns it orange, half roasted in cubes for the top. Shallots, sage and dry white wine make the base, hot vegetable stock goes in a ladle at a time, and cold butter and Parmesan are beaten in off the heat.
- Creamy Mushroom PastaTagliatelle in a cream sauce built on mixed mushrooms browned hard in two batches, so they turn golden and meaty instead of stewing in their own juices. Garlic, thyme and a splash of white wine go into the browned pan, then double cream and Parmesan, loosened with starchy pasta water into a glossy sauce that coats every ribbon, with lemon zest and parsley to cut the richness.
- Pear CakeA soft, rustic Italian pear cake. Eggs and sugar are whisked until thick and pale, then enriched with melted butter, milk, lemon zest and vanilla, with diced pear folded through the batter and thin slices fanned over the top. The fruit keeps the crumb moist, and a dusting of icing sugar is its only finish.
- All Italian recipesItalian recipes as they are cooked at home, from cacio e pepe and lasagne alla bolognese to margherita pizza, with exact amounts for any number of people.