Limoncello e Pepe
Author Notes: Limoncello is a strong, sunny, lemon-infused Italian liqueur, usually enjoyed as a digestif, or post-dinner drink. Recipes often differ on: what type of alcohol (high-proof grain alcohol or vodka) and how much sugar. This recipe opts for vodka and a modest amount of sugar. I know, I know—it seems like there's a lot, but some recipes use four times this amount! Adding black pepper is another way to cut the sweetness and incorporate some subtle spice, which I really love in a digestif. Note: The peppercorns will deepen the color of the limoncello. If you want, you can bundle them in a sachet, pull them after a couple days, then let the lemon peels keep doing their thing. And be sure to seek out organic lemons—and wash well—since the infusing process draws out everything from the peels. —Emma Laperruque
Food52 Review: Featured in: Make Limoncello ASAP, Sip All Summer Long —The Editors
Makes: about 4 1/2 cups
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11
organic lemons, washed well
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1
tablespoon black peppercorns, slightly crushed
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1
(750ml) bottle vodka
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1
cup just-boiled water
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1
cup sugar
- Peel the lemon zest with a vegetable peeler into thick strips, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Add those and the peppercorns to a big glass jar with a lid. Add the vodka and stir. Close the jar.
- Infuse at room temperature—preferably a cool, shady spot like a cupboard—for at least 5 days or up to 1 month. The general rule is: The longer, the lemonier. We infused for 1 week and loved the flavor.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the lemon peels to get every last drop. In a separate bowl, combine the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Add to the strained lemon vodka.
- Store in the fridge or freezer (my preference). Drink straight-up or on the rocks.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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Love all your ideas and comments, gonna give it a try!
what sort of container do you use during infusion process, and
then in the freezer? glass or plastic or??
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
I used glass for both the infusion and storing in the freezer.
I have had great results with a 190 proof neutral grain alcohol which I then cut down to around 50-60 proof with the simple syrup after several months of infusing. This results in a much richer flavor than what I have been able to achieve with vodka. As you cut down the infusion to a drinkable strength your limoncello will become cloudy however because the solubility of the lemon oils and compounds decrease with the alcohol percentage causing some of them to precipitate out of solution and form more of a suspension. I use a comparable number of lemons for a single bottle of 190 proof which yields ~3 L of limoncello so I suspect you could probably reduce the number of lemons substantially without noticing much of a difference. Something worth experimenting with. The addition of the peppercorns is intriguing. I'll have to give that a try in my next batch!
Could you use honey or maple syrup in place of the sugar?
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
Hm! I haven't tried that myself, but here are some thoughts: You'll notice the flavor a lot more, as opposed to the sugar, which just offers sweetness. You might want to reduce the amount, so as not to overpower the lemon. Honey would be so lovely with the lemon, but maple might be too distracting. Both will also darken the color of the limoncello. If you opt for maple, I'd choose a lighter variety. Hope this helps!
So make a honey simple syrup ?
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
Yes, and then add to taste!
Thank you! I’ll let you know how it turns out
Carlo, have you tried it yet? I'd like to use honey too and was wondering your thoughts!
Yes the honey worked perfect I cut the amount of honey in half as we don’t like things overly sweet. Hope this helps!
Yes the honey worked perfect I cut the amount in half as we don’t like things overly sweet. Hope this helps!
Yes, let the strawberries sit until they lose color and then sweeten with the simple syrup. You also want inexpensive vodka; higher proof has less flavor. Hope this helps. Enjoy.
I love a gin gimlet, not too sweet. I wonder if I infused vodka with lime and went easy on the simple syrup, would I get a good gimlet-like sipping experience?
Has anyone here used lime?
Does quality of vodka matter? Cheap or higher grade?
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
Bonnie Frumkin Morales has the perfect answer to this in her book, Kachka. Writing about vodka infusions, she says: "Cheap and neutral are your friends...Clean, bottom-shelf brands, like Taaka or Gordon's, work best."
Love the peppercorn idea! Wonder if pequins might be nice? I used to make a delicious rhubarb cordial using this technique—just learned to make it with really red rhubarb stalks or the color is nasty! (Lots of jokes about urine samples!)
How large are the lemons used in this recipe? A lot of the organic lemons I see in stores are huge (about the size of a baseball). I can't imagine using 11 at that size, but maybe that's correct.
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
The lemons I used were pretty unremarkable—so, bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball. If you're using huge ones, I'd drop the amount to 8, maybe even less, then taste-test every so often until the infusion is lemony enough to you. Hope that helps!
Try letting it sit for a few weeks after adding the simple syrup. It really smooths out the flavor. You can also do a strawberry version using the same basic recipe. Great summer sippers.
You infuse strawberries in vodka and then strain?
During the “infusion” process where do you store the liquid—— counter top or in the refrigerator?
Food Writer & Recipe Developer at Food52
Great Q! Will add this detail to the recipe. Room temperature—preferably a cool, shady spot like a cupboard.
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