Limoncello is a lemon liqueur produced in the south of 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. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. It is bright yellow in color, sweet and lemony.

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 as 40% vodka does not extract all the oil flavors from the peel.

Different varieties of lemon are used to produce different flavours. 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 flavours. Grappa is sometimes used, as is refined pure alcohol. A more refined alcohol maximises the lemon flavour, whereas darker alcohols add complexity. Higher quality sugars used in the infusion process create a sweeter liqueur.

Serving

It is traditional to serve Limoncello chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a centre of both ceramic and limoncello production. This tradition has carried into other parts of Italy.