This is the new episode on our Piazza Talk Lucca channel. We made Limoncello, the traditional liqueur from Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast, in one day. I used the recipe by Dario Bressanini, an Italian food scientist. He has made his own experiments and studied all the papers published on Limoncello. We also visit a World Monument, the Chain Bridge in Bagni di Lucca, that joins the villages of Fornoli and Chifenti. Recipe below.
Ingredients:
120 gr/ 4 oz Lemon zest
300 gr/ 10 oz Grain Alcohol 90 or 96 pc volume/ 190 proof
150 gr / 5 oz granulated sugar
360 gr/ 12,5 oz Water
To make a good limoncello you need good lemons. Get organic or unwaxed lemons. The zest must be edible. You can use this recipe with any citrus fruit you like: oranges, mandarins, grapefruit.
You also need grain alcohol 90 to 96 pc volume or 190 proof of close to this value.
Water you use must be unchlorinated and natural. We are lucky because our tap water comes from a nearby spring.
A brief note about proportions. I hope I don't make things confusing.
For limoncello, Bressanini says that it is much easier to use weight instead of volume and I agree with him.
The weight of the lemon zest is 40 % of the weight of the alcohol. You can see from the recipe that it works in any measurements you use. You can increase the amount of zest if you like it more lemony.
The weight of sugar is 50% of the weight of alcohol. If you like a sweeter limoncello you can increase the amount of sugar.
The weight of water is 120% of the weight of alcohol. This results in medium strength liqueur, If you like it weaker, increase the amount of water by another 10 to 20%. But be aware that if the amount of water is too high, your limoncello will freeze if you put in the freezer.
First thing, peel the lemons. Use a sharp knife or a potato peeler.
Remove the zest, making sure that you keep as little of the pith as you can. Pith makes your limoncello bitter.
Place in a jar (that you can seal later) 120 gr/ 4 oz of lemon zest.
Pour on top of it 300 gr/ 10 oz of grain alcohol
Seal with a lid, shake it for a few seconds and protect the jar from light by wrapping it in aluminium foil or place it in a cupboard.
Let it infuse for 1 day, max 3. There are many essential oils in the zest and the best ones dissolve in the alcohol in 1 day. Don't infuse for more than 3 days or the other less fragrant oils will affect the taste.
You will see that the zests becomes paler and the alcohol turns yellow/green, depending on your lemons.
Filter the alcohol into a jug, add the sugar and then the water. You will see that the mix becomes cloudy and it is a good sign. An emulsion is developing. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Traditionally sugar is dissolved in water on the stove. Water is heated to below boiling point until the sugar is dissolved, and then let it cool down. This step is unnecessary.
When the sugar is dissolved, decant the limoncello in a bottle. You can drink it now but it is better to let it rest for at least 3 weeks as some fragrances are still developing.
Serve it cold from the fridge or even better from the freezer.
LIMONCELLO WITH VODKA.
At the moment the studies on limoncello only include alcohol so we have to leave science and use a bit of experience.
If you cannot buy grain alcohol in your country, use vodka, the strongest you can get, 50% (100 proof). Because vodka is less strong than 190 proof alcohol, the process is less effective so we have to increase the amount of zest to get a good result.
1 bottle 750 ml vodka 80 or even better 100 proof
250 gr/ 5 oz of lemon zest or more if you like it more lemony.
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
Infuse the zest in the vodka for 4 days at least.
Prepare a syrup by dissolving the sugar in water below boiling and let it cool down.
Filter the vodka in a jug.
Add the amount of syrup required to reach the alcohol content you like but do it with small amounts.
Enjoy
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