This retro Italian drink is the trend of summer (and you only need 4 ingredients to make it)

When life gives you lemons, make limoncello.

limoncello-article

Summer’s nearly here – that means tangy desserts, refreshing cocktails and making edible gifts for our loved ones this Christmas. 

And what drink covers all that summer fun? Well limoncello, of course!

Over the weekend, I indulged in a limoncello spritz in the sunshine and was instantly reminded of my Euro summer escapades and just how good the Italian liqueur is (even though the views were not the Amalfi Coast this time, and just my local pub). 

This Aussie summer is ALL about limoncello, so let’s get into it. 

What is limoncello? 

Hailing from Southern Italian, limoncello is a liqueur made from lemon zest. Limoncello is one of the more modern liqueurs, having only been around for about 100 years and was made commercially available to purchase in the 90s. 

It’s traditionally served as a digestif, as it’s believed to aid with digestion after a meal.  However, these days you’ll find limoncello in all sorts of spritzes, cocktails (limoncello margs, anyone?) and even summery desserts like this lemon and peach trifle recipe. 

Can you make limoncello at home?

You can and it’s super easy – you only need four ingredients!

Our limoncello recipe starts with, you guessed it… lemons. It’s important to use a lemon with a high oil content. In Australia, the closest we have is the Eureka lemon. Food writer Alison Adams says: “Eureka lemons are sour and tangy and work well with the sugar syrup to create a smooth, evenly balanced drink.” 

If you only have access to supermarket lemons, then we recommend boiling the whole lemons for an hour to remove any impurities, so the lemon zest is as clean as possible when you combine it with the second most important ingredient: the alcohol. 

What spirit is used to make limoncello?

Vodka. After combining the vodka with the lemon zest, you need to make the sugar syrup. This sugar syrup “is essential to the thickish slightly viscous body of the limoncello,” says Alison. This sugar syrup is then added to the lemon vodka and simply poured into sterilised bottles.

Limoncello is the gift that keeps on giving over time, so if you’re planning on using or gifting limoncello for Christmas, you’ll want to start this limoncello recipe a month before drinking to ensure the flavours can develop over time. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. 

Ready, get set, go make your limoncello!

RELATED VIDEO

Originally published as This retro Italian drink is the trend of summer (and you only need 4 ingredients to make it)