Ok. I had written previously that I was attempting to make my own limoncello and it’s finally done and we’ve tried it. And just in case anyone loves limoncello and or wants to make it, bear with me as I break this down. This took a bit of trial and error. All the recipes I looked at were generally the same, though about 75 percent had one variation and the other 25 percent had another one, which peeked my interest.
The Basics
All it takes is vodka, lemon peels, simple syrup, and time. There are a few variations: how many lemons, how much vodka, and how much time. However, most recipes called for about 10 lemons to one 750ml bottle of vodka, so that’s what I went with. Most recipes called for 100 proof or more vodka, so that, too, is what I went with. Most recipes also called for a total of 5 weeks: 4 weeks to steep the lemon peels and 1 week to marry the simple syrup, lemon-flavored vodka (more about that later)—so I went with that, too. But a variation that I thought I’d try dealt with steeping the vodka. Variation 1 was to steep all the vodka with the lemon peels, then add the simple syrup, etc. Variation 2 was to steep half of the vodka, then add the rest with the simple syrup, etc.
Eventually, when we determined which variation we liked best, we altered the number of lemons. We both like sweet, tart, and thick limoncello, so we wanted to see what could be achieved with more lemons, and whether it would be worth it.
Materials
The Vodka
I used two bottles of 750mL 100 proof vodka; we could only find Smirnoff. I also read that Everclear is good to use, but it all seems to be so that one can have the highest proof vodka one can get, so regardless, you want 100 proof minimum (it seems like the consensus is that if you use a lower proof vodka, you’ll probably need less simple syrup in the end—among other differences that I don’t know of). I haven’t tried Everclear, in anything, so I really don’t know what it’d be like. I actually found it at the Class 6 on Base, so I may try it next, but one (of the stated couple handfuls) of the recipes I read argued that Everclear has a harsh flavor, which imparts that on the limoncello. I shrug with ignorance on that.
The Lemons
I got 2 bags of 2-lbs organic lemons, which split to about 10 or 11 lemons for each bottle. A lot of the recipes I read specified organic because the vodka will pull out everything the skins have to offer, and that would include pesticides. In the grand scheme of things, why not pay the extra money (which doesn’t amount to that much more when you get a bag). I think there was maybe a $1 or a $1.50 difference between the organic and nonorganic bags of lemons when we got them.
The Bottles
Ok. So I got some 1 liter swing top bottles for the complete limoncello. They sell them at Container Store, which is where I thought I’d get them. But then I discovered (rediscovered) specialtybottle.com. There are no minimum orders (for these) and shipping is reasonable, and the bottle costs are way cheaper. I would say that the quality of the bottles are the same as what one would get at Container Store (just by feel and look, anyway), and even with shipping, it’s probably at least 50% less, if not more.
For steeping the peels and marrying the simple syrup, I had some liter-sized carafes that I’ve been using with a plastic cover, which has worked well.
The Process
This is true regardless of how many lemons and how you split or don’t split your vodka:
Peel the lemons, ensuring little to none of the bitter white pith gets involved—what I’ve read, and I believe it but haven’t tested it, is that it’ll contribute to any bitterness in the finished product. Add your vodka, then let it steep for 4 weeks. At the end of 4 weeks, strain out the lemon peels (and discard them), add your simple syrup, then let it sit for another week. Once you’ve waited that last week, pop it into the freezer and enjoy!
Note: Simple Syrup is a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. I use volume, but you can use weight, but note that using weight will probably change the amount of simple syrup you’d need. Also, one of the recipes I read stated that adding warm simple syrup to the lemon-vodka would make it cloudy, cool/cold simple syrup would keep it clear. I don’t have any evidence for or against this because I haven’t really noticed. And I’d check right now, but it’s been in the freezer, so my reading would probably not be accurate.
Conclusions
The All Vodka Bottle (10 Lemons or 2 lbs)
We ended up adding 1.25 cups of simple syrup and in the end, this one was thicker and smoother, like the sweetness was part of it, rather than added, but not as lemony. We like when limoncello is a little thicker, so we liked the texture, and the sweetness was almost to my taste—I might add an 1/8 cup more simple syrup (otherwise known as 2T). Overall, this is the method we liked best.
Half Vodka Bottle (10 Lemons or 2 lbs)
To this one, we also added 1.25 cups of simple syrup, and I don’t know the science of it, but this one was more lemony—though it did have that bite of straight vodka. It wasn’t as thick and the sweetness was masked by that bite. If this is appealing, here’s how you do it: only use half of the bottle of vodka to steep the lemon peels; add the rest when you add the simple syrup.
14 Lemons (or 2.5lbs)
Using the All Vodka method, we added about 1 and 3/8 cup of simple syrup. It was smooth and had a good bite from the vodka; overall a little smoother, thicker, sweeter than the All Vodka or Half Vodka bottles described above.
19 Lemons (or 3.5lbs)
This one also got 1 and 3/8 cup of simple syrup (and used the All Vodka) and it had a slightly more prominent lemon smell, flavor, and aftertaste, and was a little smoother than the 14-Lemon bottle. Overall, I’d still go with the greater amount of lemon, but if I wanted to save some time, money, or end up with less lemon juice (though lemon juice makes lemonade, so that’s really not so bad), I’d probably be okay with the 14-lemon bottle.