Amalfi Limoncello is a traditional lemon liqueur from Southern Italy, which is easy to make at home using Everclear 95% proof grain spirit.
Our simple 4 ingredient recipe features Everclear, lemon peel, white sugar and distilled water.
Enjoy chilled and slowly sipped in a shot glass as an aperitivo before an Italian feast or serve over ice, topped with sparkling soda or your favourite bottle of prosecco for a citrusy take on the Spritz!
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What Is Amalfi Limoncello?
Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, especially in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily.
It is the second-most popular liqueur in Italy (after Campari) and is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestivo.
Traditionally, limoncello is made from the zest of Femminello St. Teresa lemons, also known as Sorrento or Sfusato lemons. Lemon zest, or peels without the pith, are steeped in rectified spirit until the oil is released. The resulting yellow liquid is then mixed with simple syrup. Varying the sugar-to-water ratio and the temperature affects the clarity, viscosity, and flavour.
Limoncello is a popular homemade liqueur, prepared by many Italian families to enjoy at the table at dinner or by bartenders who offer complimentary shots at the end of a romantic restaurant meal. You can also enjoy a Lemon Drop Martini Limoncello Cocktail or add the liqueur to homemade Limoncello Ice Cream.
Many variations of limoncello are also available. These include arancello (flavoured with oranges), agrumello (flavoured with mixed citrus), pistachiocello (flavoured with pistachio nuts), meloncello (flavoured with cantaloupe, and fragoncello (flavoured with strawberry).
Homemade Amalfi Limoncello is so easy to make. It is prepared from the zest of lemons and usually has a slightly cloudy appearance, caused by the presence of small essential oil droplets suspended in the drink.
Travel To Italy By Making Amalfi Limoncello At Home
I love traveling to Europe!
During my first visit to the continent I traveled for 5 months by train and plane. I had the opportunity to eat my way through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland,Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey and Italy.
What I love most about traveling to Italy is the opportunity to sample unique dishes and drinks in each region and city. The dishes in Tuscany (Florence, Pisa, Volterra, Saturnia, Pitigliano, Sorano, Montalcino, Siena) are unique from what you’d find in Venice, Modena, Milan, Rome, and Amalfi Coast.
Limoncello is a popular lemon liqueur unique to Naples and the Amalfi Coast but can be found across Southern Italy. It can be enjoyed chilled and slowly sipped in a shot glass, poured over ice or enjoyed as a spritz with soda and prosecco. It’s a must-try drink for those enjoying a luxurious vacation in Positano or Capri.
Once back home from an Italian holiday you’ll have a newfound appreciation for the flavours of the Amalfi Coast and can impress friends and family by making our easy Everclear Limoncello recipe.
What Is Everclear Lemon Liqueur?
Everclear is a brand name of rectified spirit produced by the American company Luxco. It is made from grain and is bottled at 60%, 75.5%, 94.5% and 95% alcohol by volume.
According to Luxco, Everclear “should be viewed as an unfinished ingredient”, not consumed directly in undiluted form, due to its high alcohol content. Rather than consuming Everclear directly, the company says it should be diluted by mixing it with water or other ingredients until the alcohol strength of the drink is “no more dangerous than other spirits or liqueurs on the shelf.”
For example, ordinary vodka, gin, rum and tequila have an alcohol concentration typically around 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), and liqueurs are typically around 20% alcohol (40 proof).
In order to make an authentic Amalfi Limoncello you need to steep lemon peel in a pure grain spirit with high alcohol content. Everclear does a great job at absorbing the lemon flavoured oil from the peel and dispersing it throughout the liquid.
My Family Loves Homemade Amalfi Limoncello
My family loves Limoncello so I was excited to to prepare a homemade recipe in my kitchen with Everclear.
I brought a bottle of Everclear to the cottage along with a bag of organic lemons at the beginning of the summer and enjoyed sipping homemade Amalfi Limoncello until the end of August.
The simple 4 ingredient recipe is easy and affordable to make, a great way to impress guests at your next Italian dinner party.
We like to sip Everclear Limoncello over ice as a refreshing drink to enjoy at sunset before dinner. If it tastes a bit too boozy you can add a splash of soda water to make a refreshing Limoncello Spritz.
Homemade Everclear Limoncello Recipe Ingredients
This homemade Everclear Limoncello recipe is easy to make, using just 4 affordable ingredients:
- Everclear: this 190 proof grain spirit is the base of the lemon liqueur. The high alcohol content of the spirit helps absorb the citrus oils from the lemon peels.
- Lemon Peel: the oils in lemon peel leach out into the high proof Everclear, imparting a pretty yellow colour and citrus flavour. Be careful when removing the peel from each lemon you want only the yellow skin not the white pith.
- Distilled Water: adding water balances the alcohol content so it is subtable to sip.
- White Sugar: adds sweetness to the liqueur so it’s not bitter.
What To Serve With Amalfi Limoncello
There’s nothing more delightful than sipping a sweet and citrusy chilled glass of Everclear Limoncello on a hot summer day.
You can serve Limoncello chilled in a shot glass, over ice, topped with soda or prosecco or as a Lemon Drop Martini Cocktail.
We sometimes like to add a splash of homemade Amalfi Limoncello over vanilla ice cream, tossed with berries to help with maceration, or in a savoury dish like a Sherry Cream Sauce Lemon Chicken or Veal Piccatina as a replacement for wine or sherry.
If you’re hosting an Italian dinner party you might like to serve this Amalfi Limoncello with these popular dishes:
- Pasta Nerano Spaghetti con Zucchine
- Pansotti Pasta with Genovesi Walnut Pesto Sauce
- Ciceri e Tria Vegan Pugliese Pasta with Chickpeas
- Tajarin Pasta with Porcini Truffle Butter Sauce
- Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese Buckwheat Pasta
- Calabrese Pasta Sauce Recipe With Fusilli
- Vegetarian Caprese Ravioli Pasta
- Traditional Tagliatelle alla Bolognese Pasta
- Lumache Rigate Snail Pasta with Garlic Butter
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Amalfi Limoncello cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Enjoy These Cocktail Recipes…
- Vodka Margarita Cocktail
- Yuzu Mojito Cocktail
- Blackberry Bourbon Whiskey Smash
- Peach Moscow Mule Cocktail
- Orange Dreamsicle Cocktail
- Frozen Mimosa Slushie Cocktail
- French Gimlet St Germain Elderflower Gin Cocktail
- Garibaldi Cocktail Campari Orange
- Pornstar Martini Gin Cocktail
How To Make Amalfi Limoncello with Everclear
Amalfi Limoncello Everclear Lemon Liqueur
Equipment
- vegetable peeler
- measuring cups
- saucepan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
- Glass Bottle
- Funnel
Ingredients
- 10 Lemons
- 750 ml Everclear Alcohol
- 3.5 cups Distilled Water
- 2.5 cups White Sugar
Instructions
- Wash 10 lemons to ensure the exterior is clean.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the rinds of the lemons, reserving the fruit for other use. Remove the pith.
- Combine lemon zest and bottle of Everclear in a large, sealable container, at least 2 qts.
- Let steep for at least 4 days and up to 4 weeks in a cool, dry place.
- Once the lemon-Everclear mixture is infused to your liking, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, stirring regularly until sugar is fully dissolved, approximately 5-7 minutes. Let syrup cool to room temperature and combine simple syrup and lemon infusion to taste.
- Strain mixture through a sieve. Chill limoncello in the fridge. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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