Limoncello is a liqueur made from fermented lemons. Refreshing and light, it is usually enjoyed at the end of a meal: it is an incomparable digestive, and with tonic water it is a sweet, tasty refreshment. It's also great with champagne or mixed with juice as a cocktail.

No matter how you have it, limoncello should always be enjoyed cold. Originally a regional product of Southern Italy, where the best lemons were and are still grown, limoncello is now a national drink and can be found in stores and restaurants all over Italy. Restaurants often make their own version of it, and offer it to their favorite customers at the end of a meal. In fact, you don't need a professional distillery to make limoncello: it's very easy to prepare at home, requiring only a few ingredients and a bit of time.

The best limoncello comes from the island of Capri and the Amalfi coast. In Capri, lemons are cultivated biologically without chemical manures or other products, which makes them perfect for an old-fashioned natural recipe like limoncello. Amalfi lemons are unique. They have a strong scent, a juicy-sweet pulp, and very few seeds. The Amalfi coastline's terraced groves have the perfect soil for growing the finest quality lemons, which have a clean, fulsome taste that could never be called sour. Amalfi lemons emanate a harmony of aroma and taste, delighting the palate with their freshness and zest. These lemons have even come to be known as "bread," because they can easily be enjoyed in slices for a snack or dessert, with or without a spoonful of sugar. You can easily distinguish them from other lemons in markets because they are the only lemons picked with the stems on.

Legend has it that the origins of this beverage lay in the well-known homemade "rosoli" drinks (liqueurs made from fermented spices, aromatic plants, and fruits), which were developed in convents. By the beginning of the 17th century, the nuns of the Santa Rosa convent in Conca dei Marini were preparing a famous lemon pastry dish ("sfogliatella Santa Rosa") whose authentic taste came from a lemon liqueur. Following the time-tested success of limoncello, other citrus liqueurs, like delicate Mandarinello (from mandarins) and tangy Arancello (from oranges), are becoming popular digestives. Another alternative to the original limoncello recipe is Cream of Limoncello, which is made with ultra pasteurized milk instead of water. The outcome is a cream liqueur that is sweeter, thicker, and paler than the original.

Italians' love for limoncello has spread far beyond the confines of Italy. Here in New York, most Italian restaurants serve imported limoncello to their Italian clientele, both as an after dinner treat and as a palate cleanser. Limoncello is also available at gourmet specialty stores like Balducci's and Dean and Deluca. If you can't find it in stores near you, you can always make your own and have a taste of summer.

Elisabetta Bucci

Classic Limoncello
Chef Luigi Certosella of Da Luigi - Capri, Italy

4 cups pure alcohol

4 cups water

2 cups sugar

10 lemons

Preparation:
Peel the lemons, being careful not to peel the white part of the skin (which would give them a bitter taste). Cut the peeled lemons into wedges and put them with the alcohol into a wide-necked bottle. Close tightly and let rest in a dark room for 20 days.
After 20 days, prepare a pot with a liter of water and the sugar. Warm the water slightly to allow the sugar to dissolve. Pour the alcohol into the water-sugar mixture, filtering out the lemon skin with the fine sieve. Stir for few minutes and pour into clean bottles quickly so the alcohol will not evaporate. Let the bottles rest in a dark room for another 20 days. After the 20 days, put the bottles in the refrigerator and serve when cold. Limoncello will keep in the refrigerator, if in a sealed container, indefinitely.

Limoncello Baba'
Chef Salvatore De Riso of Salvatore's - Salerno, Italy

8 cups flour
4 cups butter
12 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup limoncello

 

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix all the ingredients (except for the limoncello) into a smooth batter. Pour the mix into 12 cupcake molds and bake for 25 minutes.

Wisk the syrup and the limoncello together and soak in the cupcakes. Serve cold.