Limoncello

Limoncello is a traditional Italian lemon flavored sweet liqueur, something like vodka lemonade or also described as a melted lollipop. It consists simply of lemon zest steeped in liquor for a period of time, then mixed with a sugar syrup and aged again. The traditional aging times can add up to several weeks (or months). Most recipes use vodka for the liquor and it is recommended to use no less than 100 proof; one website said to avoid 150 proof vodka or higher because it ends up tasting too much like vodka. However, most recipes also say that a grain alcohol is more traditional, specifically Everclear. Linmoncello is traditionally stored in the freezer, due to the high alcohol content it supposedly won't freeze. I have four recipes for Limoncello: a sous vide version, and recipes from Serious Eats, Food TV, and the Seattle Times.

It's interesting to compare the recipes' ratio of ingredients, shows how wildly things can vary. The table below gives a comparison of various figures:

The amount of alcohol compared to water is about the same except for the Seattle Times, which is more boozy. Sugar is wildly lower for the sous vide compared to the other three, which are about the same. This is a big strike against sous vide; limoncello is a sweet liqueur (comparable to lemonade) and the fact that the other three have almost exactly the same sugar content suggests the sous vide recipe is really screwed up on this one. Lemons are also interesting, the Serious Eats recipe uses twice the number of lemons compared to the next nearest one (Food TV). The Serious Eats recipe is a much smaller one than the others, but it calls for 10 lemons which is the same amount as the sous vide and Food TV; Seattle Times calls for 14. It's also worth noting that, oddly enough, the Serious Eats recipe calls for actually zesting the lemons instead of using strips of zest; you'd think zesting it would increase the lemon flavor but on top of that they use more lemons! And of course another factor regarding lemons is that they vary in size and perhaps the different authors were simply using different sized lemons. Anyway, bottom line is it looks like the sous vide recipe is much less sweet than the others while the Serious Eats has far more lemon, and the Seattle Times is more boozy . Kind of weird how much these vary.

Here are the recipes:

Limoncello (Sous Vide)

Found via Reddit, originated on this website: https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/2-hour-sous-vide-limoncello. This recipe has the big advantage of requiring no steeping time, it assumes the sous vide process extracts all the lemon flavor without needing steeping. However, it also doesn't call for aging the liqueur after adding the sugar syrup, which is done outside the sous vide. The other recipes require steeping the lemon in the liquor plus aging the liqueur after adding the sugar syrup. And a big problem with the sous vide as I noted above is that the sugar content is radically lower than the other recipes. The low sugar content and lack of aging (sous vide can't affect the aging required after adding the sugar syrup) makes this recipe appear much less traditional.

Ingredients

10 fresh lemons, preferably organic
4 cups vodka
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

Instructions

1) Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135ºF (57ºC). Thoroughly wash lemons in hot water to remove wax and pat dry (personal note: I question washing the lemons. It is the oil on the lemon peel that imparts the lemon flavor and a vigorous washing could very well remove it. I have dozens of recipes that use lemon peel and very few recommend washing the lemons before peeling).

2) Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest in strips from the lemons, taking care to avoid any of the white pith. Save lemons for future use.

3) Place zest strips in a large zipper lock bag with the vodka. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place the bag in the water bath. Set the timer for 2 hours.

4) Meanwhile, prepare the syrup: Heat water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

5) When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Strain the entire contents of the bag through a fine mesh strainer set over a large pitcher or bowl. Stir in the syrup. Transfer lemoncello to clean bottles with tight-fitting lids. Chill before serving in small glasses.

Limoncello (Serious Eats)

As I often do for Serious Eats recipes, I'm providing a link to their free website rather than copy out the recipe. As usual their writeup has interesting information about the recipe. Their recipe makes a smaller batch than the others. It is unique because they recommend zesting the lemons instead of using strips of lemon zest; because of this they say to filter the results through a coffee filter twice to remove all the zest, saying any remaining zest may change the flavor over time and even cause the limoncello to freeze if you store it in the freezer; they also use much more lemons (per amount of liquid) than the others.

Limoncello (Food Network)

From Giada De Laurentiis. This recipe is roughly right smack in the middle of the others in terms of ratios of ingredients.

Ingredients

10 lemons
1 750 ml bottle vodka
3-1/2 cups water
2-1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Limoncello (Seattle Times)

I think this one overall sounds most promising. Below the recipe I have also copied part of the news article that the recipe came from, some of the information in the article may be useful.

Ingredients

Peels from 14 organic washed lemons, yellow part only
2 (750ml) bottles of grain alcohol or 100-proof vodka, or one bottle of each
5 cups water
4 cups sugar

Directions

1. Steep the lemon peel in alcohol in a large glass jar for two to four weeks, covered tightly, at room temperature, in the dark.

2. Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Add the syrup to vodka mixture and stir. Return to the dark location for two to four more weeks.

3. Strain the liquid into clean bottles, using cheesecloth or coffee filters. Cork or cap bottles and keep in freezer. Serve well-chilled.

Note: Limoncello will continue to mellow over time; store in the freezer for up to a year.

INFORMATION FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ARTICLE:

The traditional Italian method calls for grain alcohol or another neutral high-proof alcohol, lemon peel, sugar, water — and patience. Most traditional recipes recommend steeping for three months. However, with the rising popularity of the beverage, recipes abound for quicker versions. I've seen everything from four days to four months. Common sense tells us the longer something steeps the more intense the flavor will be. Also, time gives high-proof alcohol a chance to mellow.

Key is whether to use grain alcohol, such as Everclear, which is legal in Washington at 150-proof, or vodka. People argue hard on both sides. I've made it both ways. With vodka, nothing less than 100-proof is recommended. I overcame my reluctance to use Everclear (bad memories involving lit matches) in hopes of extracting more oils from the peel. And while it succeeded in slamming the palate with a burst of lemon, it is very, very strong.

Using 100-proof Smirnoff produced a mellower liqueur. All but one friend who tasted both batches favored the recipe with vodka, describing it as "smooth," "with a great finish," "like a melted lollipop." The lone voice for Everclear declared it "finger-licking good." Both were thick and sweet.

To peel the lemons, shave off the outer yellow layer without getting the bitter white pith. Once the peel and alcohol are combined in a large glass jar, store the jar in the dark at room temperature and forget about it. I put a two-week reminder on my calendar (halfway on the patience meter) before making simple syrup to add to the infused alcohol. Then the jar sat in the dark for a month more (nearly full patience).

When you decide it's done, strain the liquid into bottles. Online, I bought cool, wavy vessels ($2 each), which hold 3.5 ounces each and come with corks, to give to friends. If you start now, you might be able to give the bright bottles as holiday gifts. Who wouldn't appreciate a bottle of sunshine in winter?