How to make limoncello | Recipe | Food & Style (2024)

Homemade liqueurs: throwback to a bygone era

There’s something old-fashioned about sipping a glass of liqueur after a meal – especially when the liqueur happens to be homemade!

For centuries, liqueurs were made to preserve, let’s say, a harvest of plump raspberries, green walnuts or sunny lemons. But it’s a craft that has been almost completely forgotten by the modern cook.

As old-fashioned as it might be, it’s incredibly rewarding to make your own liqueurs. Although you will need a little patience for them to infuse, liqueurs are astonishingly easy to prepare.

Meyer lemons make this the tastiest limoncello ever!

Meyer lemons are one of my most treasured fruits, and I’ll admit that I can never get enough of them. So when the season starts winding down, it’s time to roll up my sleeves and preserve a taste of the harvest. It’s time to make limoncello!

This recipe calls for Meyer lemons, but, of course, you can substitute regular lemons in their place. And if you want to capture the fruits’ liveliness, make sure to get the freshest lemons you can lay your hands on.

While this homemade liqueur is perfect on its own (well chilled!), you’ll also want to try this limoncello Bellini … it is most sippable. Happy liqueur making!

Meyer lemon liqueur (homemade limoncello)

makes 3 cups (24 oz) ( 710ml)
active time: 20 min

3 large Meyer lemons (12 oz) (340 g)
2 cups (16 oz) (470 ml) 80-proof vodka (40% ABV)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup spring water
1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice – strained

Step 1: Peel the lemons with a vegetable hand-peeler, being careful to strip only the zest and as little of the white pith as possible. Place the lemon zest in a large clean glass jar. Pour the vodka over the zest. Seal the jar, shake well and store at room temperature in a dark cupboard for 45 to 60 days, shaking the jar once a week. When the lemon peels look very pale, almost white, you’re ready to proceed with the recipe.
Step 2: To make the syrup – Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup has slightly thickened. Cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Open the jar containing the lemon zest and vodka and pour the syrup into it. Seal, shake well and store at room temperature in a dark cupboard for one more week.
Step 4: Strain the liqueur through a fine cheesecloth (or coffee filter) and pour into a clean glass bottle. Store the liqueur in the freezer. Serve very chilled.
Cook’s note: It’s most unusual for me to use regular (bleached) sugar in any of my recipes. But the organic sugar that I favor turns into a brownish syrup that makes the liqueur slightly brown too – not as appealing to the eye as one might want, especially when serving the liqueur to guests. Hence the use of regular sugar in this recipe.

alcoholic drinks, liqueurs, lemons, vodka

40 Comments

Mobasir hassan
September 30, 2021 at 3:11 pm ·Reply

Truly appreciate the way you made this refreshing limoncello. Everything is so nicely described that really helped. Looking forward for more such recipes in future too.
- vivianebf
  October 3, 2021 at 11:22 pm ·Reply
  
  Thank you so much for your wonderful comment!
Terry talamo
January 11, 2021 at 6:49 pm ·Reply

Love Lemoncello – this recipe is a little different than what I use—— I’m making it today
Pingback: Meyer Lemon Liqueur (Homemade Limoncello) (VIDEO) – Italian Recipe Videos
Pingback: Meyer Lemon Liqueur (Homemade Limoncello) (VIDEO) - Italian Recipe Videos
Lillian Sire
May 9, 2020 at 7:13 am ·Reply

Hi,
It seams from the video you put more water (recipe has 1/2 cup).
Please confirm!
Thank you.
- vivianebf
  May 10, 2020 at 1:27 pm ·Reply
  
  Hello Lillian, Yes 1/2 cup of water is accurate for this recipe. Enjoy making it… cheers!
Joan Garzarelli
January 7, 2020 at 5:22 pm ·Reply

Can you double this recipe and obtain the same taste? I’d like to make it as gifts. Thanks
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  See Also
  30 Scrumptious Leftover Meatballs Recipes You Will Love To Try - Agoralia Recipes SPAM Oven Barbecue, 1956 – A Vintage Hunt’s Recipe Test - Mid-Century Menu Mini Cheese Ball Bites Recipe - The Cookie Rookie®Our 51 Best Recipes for Party Shots and Shooters
  January 7, 2020 at 5:25 pm ·Reply
  
  Absolutely! You can multiply this recipe as many times as you like. Have fun making your Limoncello!
  - Donna
    July 3, 2020 at 12:01 am ·Reply
    
    Can you put the juice of the lemons into the zest and vodka?
    - vivianebf
      July 9, 2020 at 2:44 pm ·Reply
      
      Hello Donna, As per the recipe, you’ll add some lemon juice to the Limoncello after the zest has infused in the vodka… not before. Cheers!
janet
November 23, 2019 at 11:14 am ·Reply

Hi there,we dont drink alcohol, so would you know if we can make Limoncello without the booze or do you know of an alternative please
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  November 23, 2019 at 5:20 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Janet, the essence of Limoncello is to infuse alcohol with the fragrance of lemon skins. I don’t see how you could make it without the alcohol, which is 90% of the recipe. Here are a couple of non-alcoholic drinks you can make with citrus fruits https://allweathermedia.com/infused-limeade-with-fresh-mint/ and https://allweathermedia.com/muddled-tangerine-rosemary-spritzer/. It’s not limoncello, but they are both incredibly delicious and either would work well with Meyer lemons. Enjoy!
Beatrice
June 15, 2019 at 9:07 pm ·Reply

Désolée de partir à côté du sujet de votre vidéo, mais… j’adore votre accent! C’est un plaisir de vous écouter! 🙂
I feel tempted to try your recipe with our Brazilian “limão cravo” lemons. They have a bright orange skin, so at the very least the colour would be interesting, hehe.
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  July 12, 2019 at 3:08 pm ·Reply
  
  Thank you, Beatrice! And my apologies for this late reply… This Limoncello would be beautiful with your lemons, as they sound very aromatic. I hope you gave it a try. Let me know how it turned out. Cheers!
Eric Dolman
May 24, 2018 at 5:37 am ·Reply

Thank you for the recipe! I will certainly make it very soon. My wife and I make liquors from raspberries, sour cherries, elderberries, peaches and others but I’ve always, for unknown reasons, been intimidated by Limoncello. No longer 🙂
Thank you again, Viviane.
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  May 27, 2018 at 10:13 pm ·Reply
  
  Hello Eric, Thnak you so much for your comment. You’ll absolutely love making limoncello! I cannot wait for you to try it… Let me know how your batch turns out. Cheers!
- Beatrice
  July 30, 2019 at 5:52 pm ·Reply
  See Also
  5 Recipes For Amazing Breakfasts With Black Caviar
  
  Hello Viviane,
  Thanks for answering! 🙂 I confess I was a bit shocked by vodka prices 😀 and am probably not going to try to make the Limoncello right now, but when I do so, I’ll definitely give you a feedback on it.
  Congratulations on your Airbnb page, Villa Ciel does sound heavenly.
Cora
February 15, 2018 at 9:11 pm ·Reply

Could the juice be frozen until ready to make the syrup? I am using the meyer lemons from my own plant and the next time I have a batch will be in another year. Would hate to waste the juice.
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  March 21, 2018 at 10:51 pm ·Reply
  
  Yes, you could definitely freeze your lemon juice, although it will loose a bit of its flavor. Do you harvest your lemons all at once? I have a Meyer lemon tree too and the lemons stay on the tree for several months – always a better option. Plus there are many recipes you can do with fresh lemon juice…
herbert
February 4, 2017 at 6:21 am ·Reply

The recipe uses the lemon skins in step one, and the juice in step two, 2 months later. Does it work to make the syrup the same time as step one and keep it in the fridge until ready to combine with the lemon peel-vodka mix? Or just save the juice in the fridge until then? Or does the recipe require two sets of lemons, one to use for the peels and then more lemons for the juice later?
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  February 6, 2017 at 11:22 pm ·Reply
  
  Hello Herbert, You will want to have fresh lemons (2 months after making the base with the peels) to make the syrup (so two sets of lemons). I do not recommend making the syrup ahead of time and keeping it refrigerated (Remember that we do not have any preservative in this recipe). But even more importantly from a flavor point of view, you’ll want to add the freshest lemon juice to your vodka base. It will give you a more flavorful, brighter tasting Limoncello. Have fun making your batch!
steve
January 9, 2017 at 8:15 am ·Reply

could this perhaps be adapted to produce an orange liqueur?
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  January 9, 2017 at 5:38 pm ·Reply
  
  Absolutely! If the oranges are very sweet, you may want to decrease the amount of sugar…
Pingback: Spirits of Christmas « Eliot's Eats
Archana Baikadi
April 18, 2016 at 10:23 am ·Reply

Making these right now!!! these looks so amazing. thanks for the recipe.
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  April 20, 2016 at 11:05 pm ·Reply
  
  Thank you for your note, Archana! I hope your batch turns out super-delicious. Cheers!
Evelyne CulturEatz
April 8, 2016 at 1:16 am ·Reply

Limoncello, now I am craving a glass. and a homemade one at that. I make tinctures, very similar process to infuse. I will have to make liqueur soon. Wonder how it would be with limes?
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  April 8, 2016 at 5:16 am ·Reply
  
  Hi Evelyne, I have tried to make “lime-cello”, but the zest is way too bitter – not quite as delicious as what fragrant lemons can deliver. Cheers!
  - Barbara Altis
    July 10, 2020 at 7:09 am ·Reply
    
    Day 60 finally came and I just added the syrup and put back away for now. I can’t wait to try it next week, and neither can my next door neighbor!
    - vivianebf
      August 2, 2020 at 7:42 pm ·Reply
      
      Oh Barbara! I am so excited! Do let me know how you liked it. Is there any left? 🙂
      - Barbara
        September 8, 2022 at 7:36 am
        
        Oh my gosh I forgot I had left a comment here! With Christmas only a few months away again, I started thinking about making Limoncello again and I noticed that when I made limoncello with another recipe that only called for a couple weeks of soaking the peels in the vodka and not adding any lemon juice nor waiting an extra week after mixing itall together, yours tasted a lot better! I’m thinking about doing one batch with the recipe you gave and one batch with the quicker recipe just so I can have some sooner and also have the better stuff later. Oh my gosh I can almost taste it now!
Liz
April 7, 2016 at 8:20 pm ·Reply

I’ve made limoncello but never with Meyer lemons. Your version sounds marvelous!!!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
April 1, 2016 at 4:02 pm ·Reply

Is there anything that you can’t make, Viviane? This sounds like the best ever limoncello!
- Viviane Bauquet Farre
  April 1, 2016 at 11:32 pm ·Reply
  
  Thank you, Angie! You do make me smile… very wide!
Cakespy
April 1, 2016 at 12:58 pm ·Reply

This is so awesome!! Bookmarked! I love using limoncello in baking.
Pingback: Limoncello Bellini | Recipe | Food & Style
Pingback: Limoncello Bellini — food & style
Pingback: Meyer lemon mousse with candied lemon peels — food & style
Pingback: Candied Meyer lemon peels — food & style