Limoncello () is an Italian

lemon liqueur Lemon liqueur is a liqueur made from lemons, liquor, and sugar. It is light to bright Lemon (color), lemon yellow in color; intensely lemony in flavor; clear, cloudy, or opaque; and sweet or sweet and sour. Lemon zest is used, water may be add ...

mainly produced in

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

, especially in the regions around the

Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean ...

, the

Amalfi Coast The Amalfi Coast ( or ) is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Attracting international tourists o ...

, and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. It is the second-most popular liqueur in Italy and is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestif. It is also a popular homemade liqueur, with various recipes available online and in print. Limoncello is made from the zest of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

s and usually has a slightly

turbid Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wate ...

appearance, which originates from suspended small

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

droplets.

History

The exact origin of limoncello is disputed. The industry trade group says that limoncello was created at the beginning of the 1900s by the grandmother of Maria Antonia Farace, who lived in a small guesthouse in Isola Azzurra. US sources say that it was either invented in

about 100 years ago, or that it was first made on the

, where several villages and islands claim to be its place of origin. Journalist Kristen Tillotson reports that it may either have been invented by a citrus-grove tender from Azzurra around 1900 or by monks or fishermen much earlier.

Production

Limoncello is mainly produced in

, especially in the region around the

, the

, and

. Traditionally, limoncello is made from the zest of Femminello St. Teresa

s, also known as Sorrento or Sfusato lemons. Lemon zest, or peels without the pith, is steeped in

rectified spirit Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countr ...

until the oil is released. The resulting yellow liquid is then mixed with

simple syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

. Varying the sugar-to-water ratio and the temperature affects the clarity,

viscosity Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent drag (physics), resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for e ...

, and flavor. It has a slightly turbid appearance, which originates from the presence of small (approximately 100 nanometers)

droplets suspended in the drink. Opaque limoncello is the result of spontaneous emulsification (otherwise known as the

ouzo effect The ouzo effect ( ), also known as the wikt:louche#French, louche effect ( ) and spontaneous emulsification, is the phenomenon of formation of a milky oil-in-water emulsion when water is added to ouzo and other :Anise liqueurs and spirits, anise- ...

) of the sugar syrup and extracted lemon oils. Commercial production was about 15 million liters in 2003.

Popularity

Limoncello is the second-most popular liqueur in Italy after

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an aperitif, apéritif of the ''bitter'' variety (and not an amaro) by Italians while considered an apéritif of the Amaro (liqueur), amaro variety by Americans, obtained from the infusion of ...

Serving

Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestif. It can also be served as a spritz by mixing it with Prosecco & Lemonade or soda water. With Limoncello originating from the Amalfi Coast, it is sometimes known as an Amalfi spritz.

Alcohol content

Alcohol content can vary widely, especially among homemade variants, but the typical alcohol content is about 30% by

volume Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch) ...

Variants

Many variations of limoncello are also available. These include arancello (flavored with oranges), agrumello (flavored with mixed

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

), pistachiocello (flavored with

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

nuts), meloncello (flavored with

cantaloupe The cantaloupe ( ) is a type of true melon (''Cucumis melo'') with sweet, aromatic, and usually orange flesh. Originally, ''cantaloupe'' refers to the true cantaloupe or European cantaloupe with non- to slightly netted and often ribbed rind. ...

), and fragoncello (flavored with

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

). A version made with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

instead of simple syrup also exists, known as and is often less alcoholic, at around 17% alcohol content by volume.

References

External links

{{Citrus Italian liqueurs Citrus liqueurs Amalfi Coast Lemon drinks Cuisine of Campania Fruit liqueurs Italian alcoholic drinks