Limoncello Recipe (made with sous vide!) – A Nerd Cooks (2024)

FAQs

Limoncello Recipe (made with sous vide!) – A Nerd Cooks? ›

I find that two weeks works well using Everclear and my Eureka lemons. A lower proof vodka will mean that you may need an additional week or more to reach maximum lemon flavor. Don't worry about how much time your bottle is sitting out infusing, the high proof liquor will prevent mold from growing.

I find that two weeks works well using Everclear and my Eureka lemons. A lower proof vodka will mean that you may need an additional week or more to reach maximum lemon flavor. Don't worry about how much time your bottle is sitting out infusing, the high proof liquor will prevent mold from growing.

Most limoncello is bottled between 28 percent and 32 percent alcohol by volume (ABV, 56 to 64 proof). It is possible to make your own limoncello using high-proof neutral grain alcohol (Everclear and vodka are popular choices).

Wash the lemons thoroughly in warm water, and rinse well. Remove the zest (only the zest - the yellow part) from the lemons. Try not to get any of the white pith that's under the yellow zest, because the pith makes the limoncello taste bitter.

It is just lemon particles falling out of suspension. These things take time and the particles are too small to easily filter out, so next time just leave the whole thing in your big container until the Limoncello has cleared up a bit, that way your bottles will look nicer.

Limoncello has about a 30% alcohol content so while it may jump start your digestive enzymes, it will also get you DRUNK.

Variation: Adding Lemon Juice

This will make the finished beverage more cloudy, while at the same time adding a sour note to the sweet, boozy lemon liqueur. The more juice you add, the more sour the finished liquid will become.

The term limoncello derives from a term of endearment for the word lemon. For some, it referred to a smaller type of lemons, such as lime. In 1691, they used the word limoncello to mean the “cedar water”.

Don't oversteep!

My Recipes tell us that in doing so, the oil trapped in the skins of the lemons will slowly release, infusing the alcohol with the fruit's flavor and vibrant color! After this successful steeping process is when simple syrup is added to the maker's liking to sweeten up the bottle.

Can Limoncello Go Bad or Expire? You should generally try to consume limoncello within 2 years of creating or opening it. Limoncello only contains 4 ingredients, 2 of which are preservatives. So, it will never “go bad” like milk would but it does lose its lemon scent and flavor over time.

What to do with lemon peels after making limoncello? ›

If you have extra rinds on your hands from preserving lemons and you've already made vats of limoncello, you can cut those rinds into smaller pieces and stuff them into your jars of preserved lemons for bonus pieces.

Another concern when storing this delicious Italian liqueur is mold growth. Yes, even alcohol can grow mold under certain conditions – especially if left opened for an extended period without proper sealing.

How Long to Infuse? Infuse your lemon peels and vodka for at least 4 days or up to a month. Most of the lemon flavor is extracted in those first few days, but you'll also get a stronger, bolder flavor the longer you let it sit.

Well, yes and no — while both drinks are made from essentially the same ingredients, they have different names. And like most things Italian, it's a regional thing. In the North, around the Portofino/Cinque Terre region (close to Lucca), it's Limoncino. In the South, around Naples/Sorrento, it's Limoncello.

Limoncello cloudiness comes from what is generally called Louching, where some of the oils that are soluble in alcohol but not in water come out of solution as it is diluted.

Exposure to air and heat over time will eventually cause it to go bad, and curdling is a sure sign that it's no longer suitable for drinking. Q: How do I drink or serve crema di limoncello properly?

The alcohol content of most commercially available brands of limoncello is between 24% to 32% (48-64 proof). Most brands tend to land in the high 20% range, around 27%-29% alcohol by volume.

I've found though that vodka has a flavor of its own that is imparted and I'm not a big fan of that. However, it is much better than nothing so the next best thing is 100 proof, mid-grade vodka. If you must, use the 80 proof but more potent liquor is better.

Everclear tastes more like ethanol than vodka does, simply because that is what it is. If you want to compare their qualities, dilute the Everclear to 40% ABV with distilled water and then compare the taste. Without dilution it will taste much hotter and more peppery because it has so much higher % alcohol.

This is why we've made sure to include something for all, while still considering the most important things that make a good limoncello: sweet (but not too sweet) with an intensely citrus flavour, leaving the tongue fresh and clean.