Store bought limoncello, even in Italy, is rarely as good as it is when homemade. The overly-sweetened liqueur found in restaurants is mostly for tourists, while the home kitchen version is stronger and uses a lot less sugar (although still plenty, which really makes you wonder how the former is made). It’s a very simple drink to make, but before we begin it’s important to address why you might want to try one of the alternatives we’ve listed below…
Why You Might Not Want to Make Limoncello
Because limoncello is made with a highly concentrated tincture using just the outer lemon rind, Italians consider it non-negotiable that the lemons must be completely pesticide free. Store bought organic lemons are definitely not guaranteed to be free of pesticides because there are many organic-approved chemicals that are used and will primarily affect the rind, which is exactly what we’ll be using.
You’re free to make your own decision, of course, but we urge you to only use lemons that come from a trusted, local source where you can be sure that no pesticides were used. If you don’t have a homegrown lemon source, consider trying…
Limoncello Alternatives
The basic process of making limoncello can be applied to other produce, not just lemons. You can really get creative with fruit, herbs and ingredients like coffee. After the limoncello recipe we’ll give a few examples with slightly tweaked ingredient amounts based on our own experimentation.
For each example, the process is exactly the same. Only the ingredients and infusion times change, all of which will be listed below.
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Limoncello Recipe
For this recipe, you will need:
- 10 large lemons
4 ¼ cups (1 liter) grain alcohol (around 95% alcohol)
3 ⅛ cups (750 milliliters) water
2 ½ cups (500 grams) granulated sugar
Carefully peel the yellow lemon zest from all 10 lemons with a sharp paring knife, taking care to avoid peeling any of the white pith. If you do get some pith, you can scrape it off the peel with the edge of the knife. Place the lemon peels into a large, sealable jar and fill it with the grain alcohol. Shake to evenly mix the peels and liquid.
Store the jar in a cool, dark place for 25 days. Every 1 or 2 days, give the jar a shake.
After 25 days, combine the water and sugar in a pot and heat over medium/low heat, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. Strain the lemon-flavored alcohol into the syrup and stir together.
Using a funnel, transfer the limoncello into sealable bottles and store in a cool, dark place for a month to let the alcohol flavor mellow. It’s now ready to enjoy! Keep it in the freezer and serve ice cold.
Cin-cin!
Limoncello Alternative #1: Coffee
For this recipe, you will need:
- 14 ounces (400 grams) coffee beans, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 4 ¼ cups (1 liter) grain alcohol (around 95% alcohol)
- 5 ½ cups (1.3 liters) water
- 5 cups (1 kilogram) granulated sugar
Infusion Time: 7 days
Limoncello Alternative #2: Ginger
For this recipe, you will need:
- 11 ounces (320 grams) peeled ginger, sliced
4 ¼ cups (1 liter) grain alcohol (~95% alcohol)
3 ⅛ cups (750 milliliters) water
2 ½ cups (500 grams) granulated sugar
Infusion Time: 20 days
Limoncello Alternative #3: Basil
For this recipe, you will need:
- 5 ½ ounces (160 grams) fresh basil leaves
- 4 ¼ cups (1 liter) grain alcohol (~95% alcohol)
- 4 ¼ cups (1 liter) water
- 3 cups (600 grams) granulated sugar
Infusion Time: 3 to 4 days
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