All About Limoncello

Limoncello is primarily produced in Southern Italy, and historically made from the zest of only Femminello St. Teresa lemons - otherwise known as Sorrento lemons. These lemons are prized for their fragrant skins. To make limoncello, the lemon zest is steeped in grain alcohol until its flavorful  oil is released. Then, the flavored alcohol is mixed with a sweet simple syrup to make it palatable. The resulting liquid is bright yellow in color although its clarity and viscosity (thickness) is affected by different factors such as the temperatures of the alcohol and syrup when they are mixed.

Limoncello is one of the most popular liquers in all of Italy, generally enjoyed as an after-dinner digestivo. It can be drunk on its own chilled, or mixed in cocktails where the flavor of the lemons shines through without the sourness typically found in lemon juice. Souvenir and gift shops throughout Italy are often filled with colorful bottles of limoncello in all shapes and sizes, sometimes hand-painted with beautiful scenes of Italy. Limoncello is generally inexpensive to buy and wonderful to enjoy on a hot summer evening, at the end of a satisfying meal.