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
© Melanie Maya / 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, sparkling note.
Around the Gulf of Naples, on the Sorrento Peninsula, along the Amalfi Coast and in Ischia, Capri and Procida, limoncello (in other regions it is sometimes also called limoncino) produced. The liqueur consists of essential oils from lemon peel, alcohol, water and sugar. You can enjoy it pure or on ice, alternatively you can also create a sparkling drink from the Italian classic: the Limoncello Spritz. We’ll tell you how to properly prepare the trend drink – or even how to make the lemon liqueur yourself.
Limoncello Spritz: Recipe idea to imitate
To one Limoncello Spritz to mix for four people, you will need these ingredients:
- 16cl limoncello
- 40 cl Prosecco (or white wine)
- 20cl bitter lemon
- 16 cl sparkling water
- ice cubes (or crushed ice)
- 4 lemon slices (or berries)
The preparation is child’s play: Put the first four ingredients in a large one carafe, mix the contents and divide them into four glasses. Then add two to three ice cubes and a lemon zest to each drink. If you like, decorate the drinks with some lemon balm or basil – buon appetito!
And another tip: If you want to prepare the trendy drink without a measuring cup, you can use the Limoncello also distribute a little more generously (approx. 250 ml) between six glasses together with a full bottle of Prosecco. You can fill up the mineral water according to your own taste.
Making limoncello yourself: tips for preparation
As mentioned at the beginning, the Italian lemon liqueur contains only four essential ingredients. For this reason, you can easily make a limoncello (“lime” means “lemon”) yourself. For the preparation you need ten lemons, preferably organic so that the peel is not sprayed, 750 milliliters of water and 750 milliliters of high-proof alcohol (e.g. vodka) and 500 grams of sugar. And then we can start.
How to prepare limoncello:
- Step 1: Wash the lemons with hot water, then dry them and remove the peel with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife – preferably so that the white skin sticks to the flesh (otherwise the limoncello could become bitter).
- To extract the essential oils from lemon peels, they must be soaked in alcohol at room temperature for seven to ten days. 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 saucepan 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 (preferably overnight) infuse well again. After that, the liquid passes through a sieve into a clean glass bottle with lid poured and sealed in it.
Tip: Let the finished limoncello sit for a few more days before enjoying it pure, on the rocks – or as a spritz version.
You might also be interested in:
This article contains so-called affiliate links. Further information are available here.