There is nothing better than having a wonderful meal with family and friends and ending it with this rich, luscious Crema di Limoncello di Vittoria. Cheers!
Crema di Limoncello
This post was originally published on December 20, 2014 and republished on November 16, 2017 with updated content and pictures.
A few years ago, my family and I were visiting beautiful Sorrento, located in the Campania region in Southern Italy. As we were wandering through the busy streets, we stumbled – literally stumbled – upon a lemon and orange grove smack in the city center (we also “stumbled” upon Pierce Brosnan, but that’s another story).
As we began our short stroll on this path, the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the streets of Sorrento, scooters and all, faded into a distant hum. Unexpectedly and instantly, the environment became peaceful and relaxing. We walked into a garden whose existence came into being over 200 years ago. This garden is called “I Giardini di Cataldo“.
At the end of this short journey, there was a stand, where one could purchase and sample homemade marmalade, ice creams, and different flavored liqueurs such as fennel, licorice, basil and of course, limoncello.
It has often been said that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade – except in the region of Sorrento where they make Limoncello. If you are not Italian or have never visited Sorrento, you might not be familiar with this Italian liqueur.
What is Limoncello?
- it is an Italian liquor, flavored with lemons;
- usually served as a digestif (after-dinner drink);
- stored in the freezer;
- is served ice cold in chilled shot glasses;
- relatively simple to make at home;
- a wonderful ingredient to use in Italian desserts.
If interested, you can read about the history of limoncello by following this link.
Are you ready to make this Italian Limoncello?
How to make Crema di Limoncello
Lemon peels, alcohol and a glass jar
This simple process begins by infusing grain alcohol with lemon peel.
Thoroughly wash, scrub and dry your lemons (preferably unblemished and unwaxed) before stripping them of their peel. Unfortunately, I do not have lemons growing in my backyard so I use organic lemons. Make sure you remove the pith (the white part) of the lemon, lest your limoncello is bitter.
Next, the lemon peels need to steep in alcohol. Use high grain alcohol and a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Mason jars are great as the tight seal provided by the screw tops will prevent evaporation of the alcohol. The infusion time can last anywhere from 6 to 40 days (or even longer) in a cool, dark place. A longer steeping period will result in a better-tasting and better-looking limoncello.
Swirl contents of the jar twice a day. You will notice that this process will strip the lemon peels of their color. When ready to proceed to the next step, strain the liquid with a cheesecloth in a clean bottle.
The simple syrup
Sugar is required to make the simple syrup which is in turn added to the infused alcohol. When you make the simple syrup with milk, you will obtain a creamy limoncello. The addition of a vanilla bean will enhance the final taste of this liquor.
Warm the simple syrup (the sugar, milk and vanilla bean) over medium-low heat and whisk together. Once the sugar has dissolved, strain the mixture with a cheesecloth in a large clean bottle. You might have to strain the solution a few times to get all the vanilla seeds.
The creamiest limoncello
It is very important to allow the sugar solution to cool down to room temperature before adding it to the lemon-infused alcohol. We do not want the limoncello to curdle.
The final step in this process is combining the lemon-infused alcohol with the creamy syrup.
The Limoncello can be refrigerated for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, allow sufficient headspace of a few inches for the Limoncello to expand.
Ways to use limoncello
- as a base for cocktails
- drizzle over fresh fruit, ice cream, or even cake
- as an ingredient in baking or cooking.
Limoncello recipes
One of my favorite ways to use this Italian liqueur is in lemon desserts. Two of my favorite recipes are this limoncello cake and this ricotta cake. I also like to make this lemon loaf recipe with the leftover lemon juice and then drizzle with limoncello when serving.
Recipe origins
When a friend of mine, Vittoria, learned of my newfound appreciation of this lemon liqueur, she shared her recipe with me. Vittoria is originally from Petrella, in the province of Campobasso, in the Italian region of Molise and had been making limoncello all her adult life.
I compared different “recipes” for creamy limoncello and I came to the conclusion that once again, the best one is simply a question of taste and how sweet you want your limoncello to be. I have been making and serving this recipe for Crema di Limoncello di Vittoria for a few years and it is always appreciated by family and friends.
The only modification I made was to replace 2 tablespoons of clear vanilla extract with a vanilla bean.
This wonderfully refreshing creamy lemon liqueur can be enjoyed year-round. I like to make a batch just in time for gift-giving for Christmas. You can easily make a batch of Crema di Limoncello di Vittoria this weekend and it will be ready for you to bring in the New Year!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
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Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Crema di Limoncello recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Crema di Limoncello
Ingredients
- 4 lemons peel only
- 500 mL pure grain alcohol 94% or higher
- 1 Liter milk (Grand Pré 2% UHT milk)
- 600 grams granulated sugar scant 3 cups
- 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the lemons (preferably organic).
- With the use of a vegetable or potato peeler, remove lemon peel (avoid the white pith as this will make your limoncello bitter).
- Place lemon peel in a mason jar (or another container with a tight-fitting lid).
- Add alcohol, close tightly, and let steep for at least 6 days or up to 40 days in a cool dark place. Swirl contents of the jar twice a day.
- Remove lemon zest (should be a pale color- the alcohol on the other hand should be a bright yellow).
- Strain with a cheesecloth in a clean bottle.
- In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm the milk, sugar and vanilla bean.
- Whisk frequently until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to alcohol.
- Strain (with the help of a cheesecloth) in a decanter with alcohol.
- Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 20, 2014 and republished on November 16, 2017 with updated content and pictures.
Zac
Would you use the same process with cantelope to make meloncello? (Using the fruit instead of the rind).
Maria
Great question Zac. I remember my friend making this with all kinds of fruit. I never did get all the measurements, but yes, that is what she would do.
Katy
I made this creamy Limoncello recipe to give as presents for my friends and neighbors. I followed the recipe exactly except for using whole organic milk instead of 2% milk. It turned out great! I can’t stress enough how important it is to let the milk/sugar mixture cool to room temperature. I used a instant read thermometer to insure it was cool enough. I used Everclear and steeped the lemon peel for a month. It is delicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Maria
My pleasure Katy! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience!
Rose
Hi,
I made this limoncello as part of a wedding favor(bomboniera) for my son and daughter in law’s wedding. They were going to The Amalfi Coast for their honeymoon. I used vodka as the alcohol base and whole milk for the cream. Weput the limoncello in very small bottles i had shipped from a friend in the UK and along with some limoncello flavoured chocolates in small wedding favor boxes.We had 150 guests . They were a hit.
Thanks for the recipe and letting me share.
Maria
Congratulations to the lovely couple! What a thoughtful wedding favor Rose! Thanks so much for sharing, so thrilled to read this!
Patti
I made this recipe for the 1st time and followed the recipe exactly. I allowed the mixture to set for 40 days and it was absolutely amazing. I also used the UHT milk and instead of the vanilla bean I used pure vanilla extract. Family and friends loved it. Being Italian and a Registered Dietitian like you Maria I thought I would give your recipe a try. I was not disappointed. Will make this over and over again. Thank you!
Maria
I am so thrilled to read this! Thanks so much for taking the time to share Patti!
Maria
Hello Maria,
Do you think that I can use heavy whipping cream instead of milk.
Maria
Hi Maria! Although I have never tried, I think it might be too think…perhaps there is someone that has tried and will share their experience. Thanks for stopping by.
Karen
Hi Maria, I use heavy cream all of the time…and it is delicious! Give it a try!
Maria
Thanks so much Karen. I will try and use it to make ricotta pie. Thanks again for sharing.
Chris D
Great recipe! We’ve made several versions and this is the closest we come to our favorite authentic italian restaraunt version! The UHT milk seems to make a big difference. We put the vanilla bean in with the lemon rinds while they steeped in 151 then sliced the softened vanilla bean lengthwise and cooked it in the UHT milk and sugar cream mix. Thank you for sharing!
Maria
Thanks so much for sharing Chris. Thrilled to read you are enjoying the limoncello.
Marie
This recipe was so easy to make and lots of fun too! I made the creamy version.
I used vodka from Finland, lemons from the local bowling green and organic full fat milk from our local neighbourhood farm. Just Devine!
Marie, Cambridge, NZ
Maria
So thrilled to read this! Thanks so much for sharing Marie!
Gwen Shirvanian
I used Smirnoff Vodka and we were very happy with the result.
Also since I didn’t want the vanilla to over power the lemon flavor I just put 1 whole bean into the milk and sugar mix. After milk mix cooled I pulled out bean adding the lemon infused vodka. I did not open the bean and scrape in to the milk sugar mix.
Excellent Recipe. I will be making again, and again.
Maria
Thanks so much for taking the time to share Gwen. Thrilled to hear you are happy with the results.
Alex
Looks good, I’m hoping to try it soon.
I also noticed you don’t have an alcohol percentage listed in the information.
I’m estimating between 24% and 26% by volume if starting with 500mL at 94%.
I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Maria
Great comment, thanks Alex. Yes, I would agree. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!
Paul Epthimiatos
Dear Maria, Could you tell me where those beautiful handled shot glasses pictured above are available for sale? Thank you!
Maria
Hi Paul, I bought these glasses over 30 years ago at a local “Italian” hardware store… I did a quick online search and unfortunately, I have not seen them anywhere. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Tina
So I also loved the shot glasses. Found them on eBay. Keglevich shot glasses. Unfortunately they do have the logo on them. But I really like collecting different glassware so I’m adding them to my list.
Maria
Fantastic Tina!
Matthew Guy
Great recipe, I used Everclear and the alcohol taste is really prominent, would adding more milk dissipate that at all?
Maria
Great question Matthew. It would dilute it but I’m not sure what it would taste like. I would try just a small amount and evaluate it. Thanks so much for stopping by Matthew, appreciate it.
Alex
In my experience the bad qualities of a rough or cheap spirit will always be present no matter how much it is watered down. Never had Everclear, but I cannot imagine it is good quality.
Kathy
Alex, I make my regular Limoncello with Everclear 190 (grain alcohol) and it tastes amazing. Try it before you knock it. Crema di Limoncello di Vittoria is next on my to-do list as it sounds delicious! Can’t wait to get more lemons and Everclear!
Linda Schultz
I use Everclear and also use vanilla paste instead of the bean. Everyone loves loves my recipe.