How to Make Homemade Limoncello

Name: Homemade Limoncello
Prep time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 5 large organic Amalfi Coast lemons (or 8-10 smaller organic lemons); 2 c. alcohol (95%, such as Everclear or another grain alcohol); 20 oz. sugar; 3 c. water

May 13, 2021 | By Peg Kern

Filed Under

Limoncello is one of our favorite liqueurs or after dinner drinks. It is wonderful tangy, fresh, and when made properly imbued with the very essence of lemons. You can drink plenty of limoncello on any of our Amalfi Coast cooking vacations, or you can learn to make it yourself on our best-selling Mediterranean Cooking Experience!

Contact us for details on our Amalfi Coast cooking vacations.

Scroll down to see how easy it is to make this famous Amalfi Coast liqueur at home, or read about the time Peg (successfully!) brought home a jar of limoncello on a flight – needless to say, it was an adventure!

Learn to make another tasty Italian liqueur: liquore alla fragola!

Homemade Limoncello

Prep time: 15 minutes
Inactive time: 60 days
Cook time: 0 minutes
Cook method: Mix, Macerate

Ingredients

5 large organic Amalfi Coast lemons (or 8-10 smaller organic lemons)
2 c. alcohol (95%, such as Everclear or another grain alcohol)
20 oz. sugar
3 c. water

Instructions

1. Rinse the lemons and using a peeler remove just the yellow part of the peel, leaving behind the white pith.
2. Put the lemon peel in a sealable glass jar with the alcohol. Let the peels macerate for at least 30 days in a cool, dry location, giving the jar a shake every few days.
3. When the 30 days are up, prepare a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water and boiling just until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely.
4. Add the syrup to the lemon peel and alcohol mixture and shake well.
5. Let rest for another 30 days in a cool, dry place.
6. Shake the jar vigorously for a few seconds, then strain out the lemon peel and enjoy!

Keep your limoncello stored in a cool dry location, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer (the alcohol will keep it from freezing).