Limoncello

Encyclopedia : L : LI : LIM : Limoncello

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur produced in the south of Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples and the coast of Amalfi and Islands of Ischia and Capri , but also in Sicily and on Sardinia. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. It is bright yellow in colour, sweet and lemony.

A bottle of Limoncello di Sicilia

Contents

1 Production
2 Serving
3 Similar Liqueurs
4 Brands of Limoncello
5 Limoncello Outside Italy
6 External links

Production

Lemons for limoncello are picked and washed only with water. They are then fed through a machine which gathers the lemon rinds. The white pith of the lemon should be avoided. Various varieties of lemon are used to produce different flavours. The variety of lemon used is usually dictated by region. The lemons of Amalfi produce a particularly pleasant Limoncello. The rinds are placed into a vat, where they saturate with alcohol for 3 to 5 days. Various alcohols can be used to give varying flavours. Grappa is sometimes used, as is refined pure alcohol. A more refined alcohol maximises the lemon flavour, whereas darker alcohols add complexity.

After saturation sugar and water are added to the vat. A sugar and water solution is sometimes used instead. Higher quality sugars used in the infusion process create a sweeter liqueur. The resulting liquid is then homogenized in a turbo emulsifier for 40 minutes, after which it is bottled.

Serving

It is traditional to serve Limoncello chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a centre of both ceramic and limoncello production. This tradition has carried into other parts of Italy.

Similar Liqueurs

There are a number of similar liqueurs produced within and outside of Italy. Some are slight variations, some use lemon juice as well, and some use other citrus fruits. You might come across Limoncino, Limonello, and Limonetta or even Crema di Limone which is made with milk, or milk products, to give a creamy texture. Also common are products made in the same fashion, but using Mandarins.

Brands of Limoncello

Limoncello di Sicilia - Russo
Caravella Limoncello
Limoncello di Ischia
Limoncello di Capri
Villa Massa
Luxardo
Pallini Limoncello
Bella Verde
Lemoncello Toschi
Rossi D'Asiago

Limoncello Outside Italy

Limoncello is common in Italy but has only recently become popular in other parts of the world. Restaurants in the United States, the UK and Australia are starting to find the appeal of limoncello. It is also stocked in some UK high-street supermarkets, and most Australian liqour shops stock one or two varieties. It is also becoming a popular ingredient in cocktails as it imparts a strong lemony flavour without the sourness or bitterness of actual lemon juice.

Unlike other hard liquors, limoncello is extremely cheap to produce, only requiring sugar, water, lemon rinds, alcohol, and time to mature. Italian restaurants are also gaining extra class and credibility by serving their guests limoncello.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Limoncello is also popular among Italian-Americans and other diaspora communities, who often make their own homemade versions of it. Homemade limoncello can be a great deal stronger than brands sold in stores. It is fairly common in the USA for limoncello to be consumed in a standard shot glass.

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.