I kind of can't believe I haven't shared this tutorial with you yet, since it's one of my go-to handmade holiday gifts. It's especially useful if you're one of those lucky ones with a lemon tree *sigh*.
Limoncello isn't exactly something I usually have around the house, so here's the quick and dirty.
Originally the digestif of choice for old Italian men, limoncello is a lemon liqueur is traditionally served chilled after a meal to promote digestion of food. It consists of lemon peels, vodka, and sugar.
But since I'm not usually a fan of adding traditional sugar to my beverages, I put a twist on the age old recipe and added honey instead. With a little patience, this simple recipe can be a huge hit as a gift this holiday season.
Honey Limoncello
- 5 organic lemons
- 1 bottle vodka
- 1 cup raw, organic honey
- Large mason jar
- Bottle for gifting/serving (I like these)
Wash and peel your lemons using a vegetable peeler. Remove the outer skin only, incorporating as little pith as possible. Place the peels at the bottom of a large mason jar and cover entirely with vodka. Seal tightly and let infuse for 2-3 weeks. The longer you infuse, the stronger the lemon flavor.
Once infused, strain the lemon peels from the vodka.
Take your gifting bottle(s) and pour lemon vodka mixture in, about 3/4ths of the way. Then add in your honey leaving an inch at the top. Seal your bottle and shake it up until the honey is fully emulsified.
Chill the limoncello in the fridge or freezer before serving.
*The recipe can include various amounts of vodka and honey, it's really up to you. The higher the honey in the ratio, the less alcoholic and sweeter the mixture will be. Play with it, love!
What size bottle of vodka did you use? Gorgeous pictures. I look forward to making this!
I used a bottle of Smirnoff 100 proof 750ml.
does the honey separate out or stay emulsified?
I put 1/2 cup water in a pot, added 1 cup of honey and heated it to just warm: NOT BOILING, and when cooled, mix it into the strained lemon vodka. The honey does not separate. Pour into clean bottles and chill…enjoy!
By the look of the photo you took too much peel there‘s too much white wich makes the limoncello bitter, you only want the yellow bit, so it‘s best to use a zester, also normally you‘d use 96% alcohol instead of vodka, but I know it‘s not available everywhere.
Yes Christopher you are correct I used a seater as well and Everclear alcohol only the true limoncello is made from Everclear
I made some with everclear and sugar watert, but it was way to strong for us and burned all the way down into our stomachs, one sip and we were done. But then we are lightweight wine drinkers 🙂 The Lemoncello made with vodka and honey was very tasty.
I accidentally added the honey to the mixture at the beginning, will it still work or should I throw it out and start all over?
Thanks for the info. This should have a long shelf life with no refridgeration, right? Thanks
Typically most recipes target the final alcohol level to be 40% or 80 proof to keep it from being too hot. Whether you use 151 proof ever clear or 80 proof vodka, there is an easy method to predetermine your final alcohol level. Multiply your alcohol volume by either the proof of your alcohol or its alcohol percentage. Then divide that number by you desired proof or percentage. The resulting number is the total volume of your finished product. Subtract your initial alcohol volume from that number and the result will be the amount of simple syrup to add.
It’s so nice to see a recipe that uses honey,it’s very traditional for those that don’t know and use the juice from the lemons also. Nothing was wasted in Italy and sugar was a luxury in the old days,so this is more traditional than you realize. You will find this version of limoncello served in Mom & Pop establishments to this day in southern Italy and Sicily. We still use honey with our family recipe.
Do you have to dilute the honey in water ? Can i just add to lemon/ vodka mixture?