Have you ever tried Limoncello? Limoncello is a lemon liqueur produced in Southern Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples and the coast of Amalfi and Islands of Ischia and Capri, but also in Sicily, Sardinia and the Maltese island of Gozo. We visited Amafi and Postiano on the 6-7th of June. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. It is bright yellow in color, sweet and lemony, but not sour since it contains no lemon juice. The first time in my life I have seen lemons in size of human head.
How is it made? Unlike many other liqueurs, limoncello is easy and inexpensive to produce, requiring only sugar, water, lemon rinds, alcohol, and time to mature. Homemade limoncello often has a stronger, more pronounced lemon flavor than brands sold in stores, but to do this you must use pure 96% alcohol and dilute only after extraction, as 40% vodka does not extract all the oil flavors from the peel.
Different varieties of lemon are used to produce different flavors. The variety of lemon used is usually dictated by region, the lemons of Amalfi producing a particularly pleasant limoncello. Various alcohols can be used to give varying flavors. Grappa is sometimes used, as is refined pure alcohol. A more refined alcohol maximizes the lemon flavor, whereas darker alcohols add complexity. Higher quality sugars used in the infusion process create a sweeter liqueur.
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