Limoncello!!

 Limoncello!! what an excellent word. It made me smile the first time I heard it, though at the time I didn't even know what it was.

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There I was, on a balmy October evening in Rome, at a tiny trattoria on a back street we found while hungrily drifting around random streets somewhere north of the Pantheon. We'd only been in Rome for three days and the fog of jet lag was finally lifting enough for me to use my fledgling Italian with some degree of confidence. Our waiter, Rocco struck up a conversation and in the course of it told me about his good friend Enzo in San Francisco who also ran a ristorante, and could I go there and tell him "Ciao" from his old friend Rocco. Of course I could, and he complimented me on my rough Italiano telling me he at first thought from my accent that I was a native Italian from the south visiting Rome. Er was that a back-handed compliment?  Was he calling me a hick?  Hah.  I'll take it!

After finishing our long, lovely meal sitting at a table on the street on a perfect evening we paid our bill and got up to go, but as we were pushing chairs out and shuffling off, Rocco rushed out with a bottle of some yellow liquid and begged us to "Prendi un limoncello, amico mio"

We sat back down happily while our new friend poured out two chilled to frozen tiny glasses brimming to the top. I know it sounds corny, but they almost sparked in the soft light of a warm Roman night. 

How to explain the first sip of Limoncello. First, the scent as you raise it to your lips; Lemony, dreamy, tart, thick to almost creamy, but with a razor-sharp intensity in the same instant. Ice cold always (there is no other way to drink it and the bottles are kept in the freezer to ensure this) it goes down easily with a perfect blend of sweet and tart.  It instantly takes your mind to the clouds by rounding all the sharp corners and binding together all the varying flavors of the momentous meal you just finished. It is truly the king and queen of aperitifs, transforming the end of your real into an event of remembrance.  It IS. the essence of dolce vita.

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Thus began my continuing love affair with Limoncello and months later, back in California I knew I had to try and make my own.

The trouble with that is in the ingredients. It's just lemons rind and strong liquor aged together, but it is a very specific type of lemon. Only lemons grown in the Amalfi Coast, or Sicily will do. Period. I won't step into the debate between Amalfi and Sicilia as to which is better. That is a blood feud and not my place to choose sides, though having made my own from both types of lemons, I do lean slightly toward Sicilia currently. 

These lemons are nothing like what Americans are used to seeing in our stores and trees. These lemons are huge, two to three sizes larger, thick-skinned with a fragrant oil that leaves your hands damp and reeking of lemon all day after handling them. That is decidedly not a downside, by the way. Of note: The first time I came across an Amalfi lemon, in a botanical garden in Salerno, I thought I was looking at grapefruit!

The problem with local production is that, well, this is California and not Sicilla or Costieri Amalfi. So my initial attempts at finding a source came up empty.  But one day, miracle of miracles, a friend told me of having an aunt in Berkeley who had this odd lemon tree in her yard with these amazing, huge, misshapen lemons - and she had a surplus she'd be willing to give us.  Magically, my Limoncello source arrived the next day.

The How To:

This is the simplest form of liquor-making imaginable, but it has a few rules you must adhere to.

1.  Peel the lemon (just the yellow zest of the outer skin, with as little of the white inner pith as possible,) of 9 lemons. While Nonna will use a sharp paring knife, I have migrated to a vegetable peeler. Place all these strips of lemon rind into a large glass container. 

2.  Add 1500 ml's  of sttrong alcohol. I use the grain alcohol, Everclear which you can get at your local Bev Mo. But you can use grappo also if you like. Securely seal the jar for the next step.

3. Swirl it around for a bit to blend it then simply put it away in a cool dark place for a minimum of 30 days. Taking it out weekly to swirl it around 

4.  After 30 days bring out. In a large pan heat 1500 ml;'s of water to an almost boil and pour in 700 grams of sugar. Stir until the sugar is fully infused.  Let it cool for 20 minutes while you gather your bottles.

5.  Pour the alcohol through a strainer into the sugarwater mix and then briskly stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until fully blended.

Finito!  Brava, brava!

Using a funnel so as to not spill even a single solitary drop, fill your bottles.

Chill the Limoncello thoroughly and store the other bottles in a cool dark place until needed.

Godare!!  Whether your choice is Amalfi or Sicilia you'll be happy. È tutto bene!