The Famous Beach Cottage Limoncello Recipe!

G’day lovelies!

Hmm I didn’t realise I mentioned Limoncello on this blog as much as I do…no I don’t have a problem…well maybe I do but whatever.

So, do you know what I have no idea where I first had Limoncello, I only know that it is divine…

I love lemons in anything so it was probably a given that this would be the pre-dinner drink for me…you may be thinking **** my life is too short to even consider making Limoncello…you’d be wrong…as you know with me by now, if I make anything more than once, let alone stick it on this here blog, it has to be mega simple, with easy ingredients and not too much effort or faffing around…

..this ticks those boxes…about the most taxing thing you have to do with this is peel a few lemons…and I kinda like standing by the window for some meditative peeling…the rest really is watching it soak for a few days or so and doing some pouring…

I have tried most of the ones you can buy in bottles and I don’t know but they just don’t taste the same as DIY Limoncello…and seeing as some of you who read this blog are slap bang in the middle of summer, of which

this drink suits perfectly I thought I had better get my act together, make another batch and show you just how simple this is…

I have really been dabbling in the recipe and think this one is just right…of all the recipe searching I did, I believe the sugar content is about middling…some recipes called for a lot more, some for a tad less…this I think  is just right, …you could go either way easily though…I have done and a little bit more or less sugar is just a matter of what suits your palate.

This will taste much more heady and lemony if you can get your hands on organic lemons (I guess that can be said for most produce) but this is far from a pre-requisite…and when I made this batch I couldn’t find any locally…suffice to say that as soon as I had the lemons soaking in the alcohol the next week at the farmer’s market there were lots…

I bought some anyway for my chicken…this is the difference with an organic lemon…see the lovely skin…cost is at least double for the regular ones, these were three times as much as the ones I bought for the Limoncello…look at the difference with the organic ones…these were picked by the farmer the afternoon before I bought them…the fragrance is heavenly…

So here it is, right at ya…get a batch made-up, sit back in an Andirondack and think of me….;-)

Beach Cottage Limoncello

10 lemons (unwaxed & organic are best)

3 1/2  cups white sugar

3 cups water

3 cups vodka

wash those lemons really really well…I run mine under water for a bit…then scrub with a scrubbing brush…

Now start peeling your lemons…you want as little pith as possible as this is what might make your limoncello bitter…the first time I made this, I agonised over the pith…the next time I did it I was a lot more casual and it made no difference to have the odd bit of pith in there….

I have read all sorts about the easiest way to do this to ten or so lemons…to be very honest I do not feel this is any hardship…but if you make this I advise you to try a few different knives to see which size suits your hands and this job best…for me a small paring knife was quick and easy

also I’d try a vegetable peeler…I have read that for a lot of people a vegetable peeler makes this a whole lot quicker…not for me, I like doing it with a knife…

So once you have done your work, you will be left with a pile of these…

plus a load of naked lemons…I will suggest you stuff them up a couple of chickens or make lemonade…

I used mine this time for chicken stuffing and the rest I chopped up, put in baggies in the freezer – I never thought of doing this, it wasn’t until my neighbour’s tree was full of lemons last year and we started about preserving them when she told me she puts them in baggies and pulls them out for this and that…I do that all the time now

Now you need a suitable container with a lid…I like to use a mason jar with a rubber seal…that way I know that I can safely lock the lid on and walk away…

Pop the peel in the jar

next you want to pour your vodka on the lemon peel…

Seal the jar and let sit for a week or so (you can get away with less if you are making this in a hurry for a party or something, or you can leave it for longer)

Once you are ready to make your Limoncello add 3 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to the boil

then turn the heat right down and add 3 cups white sugar & let this sit for a few minutes on a very low heat until the sugar has dissolved and you have a thin syrup consistency

now strain your vodka/lemons

I strain it into a large pyrex jug which makes it easy to decant into bottles…(or obviously use a funnel..I don’t have one)

Now add your syrup into this, stir and mix for a bit

pour into bottles and you are done…

Leave for a couple of days at least to age and sit but a few weeks is best

You need to serve this ice ice baby cold if you are drinking it in the summer…

I have read all sorts in my research in all things Limoncello, but I think it is nice at room temp too (do not shoot me Limoncello experts)

I also like a sprig of herbs in with mine…

…thyme is lovely but here with some mint is nice too…adds a little kick to the lemony loveliness…

and that’s it Beach Cottage Limoncello…I am telling you you won’t be disappointed…this is like summer Italian style in a bottle….

I will advise you though NOT to test this if you are making it in the daytime before the school run….this stuff is mega mega mega more-ish and mega mega mega potent…

save that bit for when the kiddos are home and safely tied to trees

arrivederci

G'day! I'm Sarah, I live in a tatty old cottage, near the sea in Australia with a battered old deck & a big old fig tree out the back...stripped wooden floors, old sash windows & a jumble of vintage furniture.
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