Lemon liqueur
This is what spring tastes like: recipe for a sparkling limoncello spritz
Limoncello Spritz is the trend drink for the coming spring and summer
© Ekaterina Senyutina/Getty Images
Limoncello tastes best when you drink it straight? Not even close! In combination with just a few ingredients, the Italian lemon liqueur becomes a sparkling cold drink that gives the classic a fruity, tangy note.
Limoncello is grown around the Gulf of Naples, on the Sorrento Peninsula, along the Amalfi Coast and in Ischia, Capri and Procida (in other regions it is also sometimes called Limoncino) manufactured. The liqueur consists of lemon peel essential oils, alcohol, water and sugar. You can enjoy it neat or on ice, alternatively you can create a sparkling drink from the Italian classic: the Limoncello Spritz. We’ll tell you how to prepare the trendy drink correctly – or even how to make the lemon liqueur yourself.
Limoncello spritz: recipe idea to try
To one Limoncello Spritz To mix for four people, you will need these ingredients:
- 16 cl limoncello
- 40 cl Prosecco (or white wine)
- 20 cl bitter lemon
- 16 cl sparkling water
- Ice cubes (or crushed ice)
- 4 lemon slices (or berries)
Preparation is a breeze: put the first four ingredients in a large bowl carafe, mix the contents and divide them into four glasses. Then add two to three ice cubes and a lemon peel to each drink. If you like, garnish the drinks with a little lemon balm or basil – buon appetito!
And another tip: If you want to prepare the trendy drink without a measuring cup, you can Limoncello also divide a little more generously (approx. 250 ml) into six glasses together with a full bottle of Prosecco. You can fill up the mineral water according to your own taste.
Make your own limoncello: tips for preparation
As mentioned at the beginning, Italian lemon liqueur only contains four essential ingredients. For this reason, you can easily make limoncello yourself. To prepare it you need ten lemons, preferably organic so that the peels are unsprayed, 750 milliliters of water as well as 750 milliliters of high-proof alcohol (for example vodka) and 500 grams of sugar. And then you can start.
How to prepare limoncello:
- Step: Wash the lemons with hot water, then dry them and remove the peels with a peeler or a sharp knife – ideally so that the white skin remains attached to the flesh (otherwise the limoncello could become bitter).
- To release the essential oils from the lemon peels, they must be soaked in alcohol at room temperature for seven to ten days. To do this, pour the vodka together with the peels into a large container and cover it.
- After waiting, boil the water together with the sugar in a pot on the stove until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then set the pot aside and let the contents cool down.
- Mix the finished sugar syrup with the vodka-lemon peel mixture and let the contents steep again (preferably overnight). Then the liquid is strained through a sieve into a clean one Glass bottle with lid poured and sealed inside.
Tip: Let the finished limoncello steep for a few more days before enjoying it neat, on ice – or as a spritz version.
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