Limoncello

[fsa46]

What specific gravity do you finish your limoncello at ? I finish mine at 1.07 to 1.08, just curious what others are doing .

Happy New Year ( 2024 ) to all our members.

 

[NorCal]

I adjust the sugar to taste. Below is my proportions and an email I wrote to a buddy that was making a large batch. I use a lot of lemons and shows how much sugar as a baseline.

————
1.5L of everclear 60% abv
The zest of 20 lemons
3.5 cups of white sugar
5 cups of filtered water
————-

Limoncello recipe overview (I believe he had 85% abv everclear)

Clean and micro zest 150 lemons for your finished volume. Yellow only, no white, don't wimp out and only do 100, you are making 3 gallons of limoncello. Put in the work up front, the results will be better than anything you will buy in the store.

Put the zest in a big enough glass container(s) with the everclear.

Let set for 45 days, shake every week or so

After 45 days, filter...big PIA! I use coffee cups and paper coffee filters. Do about 15 cups, because if is a slow process.

Boil the 251 ounces of water and then add 20 cups of sugar. (Do a bench trial; you may want to add less sugar; you can always add more sugar, can't take it out).

Mix the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil until clear.

Let the simple syrup sit until cool and then mix with the alcohol and lemon infusion.

Let that mixture sit for 45 days....really smooths out given some more time.

It may need to be filter again right before bottling, but it may not need it.

Bottle the liquid and if all went well, it can be stored in the freezer without freezing. Try a small bottle first

 

[ratflinger]

I agree with Norcal - Lemoncello is a liquor product, not a wine product. One difference is that my wife cooks the lemon zests with some simple syrup to speed up the process. Meyers Lemons don't end up needing as much sugar as they are not as bitter. Depending upon your chosen ABV then vodka might be an option.

She has also made Blood Orangecello using the same process.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

Poke around on this site - It has great of info:
https://limoncelloquest.com/limoncello-articles/how-to-make-limoncellohttps://limoncelloquest.com/limoncello-calculators/limoncello-alcohol-percentage-calculator

 

[EdisonWalsh]

I am a bit late but happy new year.

 

[winemanden]

I adjust the sugar to taste. Below is my proportions and an email I wrote to a buddy that was making a large batch. I use a lot of lemons and shows how much sugar as a baseline.

————
1.5L of everclear 60% abv
The zest of 20 lemons
3.5 cups of white sugar
5 cups of filtered water
————-

Limoncello recipe overview (I believe he had 85% abv everclear)

Clean and micro zest 150 lemons for your finished volume. Yellow only, no white, don't wimp out and only do 100, you are making 3 gallons of limoncello. Put in the work up front, the results will be better than anything you will buy in the store.

Put the zest in a big enough glass container(s) with the everclear.

Let set for 45 days, shake every week or so

After 45 days, filter...big PIA! I use coffee cups and paper coffee filters. Do about 15 cups, because if is a slow process.

Boil the 251 ounces of water and then add 20 cups of sugar. (Do a bench trial; you may want to add less sugar; you can always add more sugar, can't take it out).

Mix the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil until clear.

Let the simple syrup sit until cool and then mix with the alcohol and lemon infusion.

Let that mixture sit for 45 days....really smooths out given some more time.

It may need to be filter again right before bottling, but it may not need it.

Bottle the liquid and if all went well, it can be stored in the freezer without freezing. Try a small bottle first

An old lady in Amalfi, Italy, showed me how she made Limoncello. I can't speak Italian, she couldn't speak English, so I have no idea of the amounts she used, sugar, peels, alcohol etc. The only thing I was certain of was that she kept the spirit on the lemon peels for seven days, before straining.
Amalfi lemons have very thick skins, so she was able to remove the pith easily.