Ah, Limoncello. The wonderfully sweet and tangy after dinner drink found in Italy originated around Sorrento, where we stayed on our recent trip. All along the Amalfi Coast you find shops boasting their own Limoncello production, offering you a taste. Mmmmm... Be warned though, this drink is strong, 30 to 40% alcohol. You only need a tiny bit! I discovered this liqueur on my very first business trip to Italy in 2008, and fell in love with it.
Lemons and other citrus are grown in this region, and have two crops a year - around May-June and November-December. It was very neat to see the groves of trees with the fruit on them, even the trees along the streets in the towns are citrus. The lemon is the symbol of the region - everything had lemons on it! We enjoyed walking along, popping into the different stores for a sample. We also discovered Limoncello Crema - the white-ish Limoncello made with milk instead of water - and love that even more.
Limoncello is easy to make, you just need lemon peel, 100-190 proof alcohol, water, sugar, and time. I found a good, detailed description of the process here. I've never made it, but I want to try someday. It will be a sweet taste of Italy I can make wherevery I live.
Today's 9 Muses Musing prompt is SWEETS. Tomorrow's is FAMILY. Come on over and see what sweet treats are shared today!
I love limoncello, absolutely deliciious
ReplyDeleteI have a bottle of Limoncello reserved especially for "me" - brought back from a trip to Florence in April. I love it so much, almost my favourite liquor drink.
ReplyDeleteI never had this! gonna try it.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this before but I don't drink liquor anyway :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the bottle design and the bells are really in sweet colors.
I have heard of Lemoncello I might have to try some... Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a pretty drink that is for certain! I love it!
ReplyDeleteSounds Yummy!
ReplyDeleteLimoncello is a wonderful after-dinner drink. My husband started making it a few years ago with lemons from our tree Such a treat!
ReplyDeleteLimoncello is my favorite after dinner liqueur:)...after that is Vin Santo...or maybe it is the other way around:)...I have always meant to try making Limoncello too...maybe this year!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a morning TV show where one of the guest had spent the evening drinking limoncello - hilarious!
ReplyDeleteCitrus and December are hard to wrap my head around but you make it sound fabulous. Would be better than Nyquil for a cold!!!
ReplyDeleteThe process is called "Infusion". It can be done with any fruit or vegetable by the way. And the higher the proof, the better and faster the flavors are infused into the alcohol. Just remember once you are done to filter through cheese cloth and if you should so desire to bring down the alcohol percentage just add water 'til you hit the right proof number you're looking for.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of it before now, but I am intrigued!
ReplyDeleteMmmm, I love limoncello, and back home we also have lemons growing in our garden, hard to imagine that here, with all the snow and ice and cold going on in UK right now.
ReplyDeleteMy that sounds like a special drink. I'd love to try it sometime.
ReplyDeleteAhh Limoncello, my favorite liqure. It's waiting for me this chirstmas too! xm
ReplyDeleteDon't drink, but I love the bottles. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think I remember having some of this when we visited Florence a few years ago. Lovely and very Italy :-)
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