If It’s Spring… It’s Time for Limoncello!

Springtime fills the air in my backyard with the delicious scent of citrus blossoms. At the same time our orange, lime, and lemon trees are bursting with fruit, their fragrant white flowers hold the promise of next season’s crop.

Bees are busy making sure each blossom gets pollinated.

As anyone with a home garden knows, there is something very satisfying about harvesting fruits or vegetables you have grown yourself. Our blueberries will ripen later in the summer but right now citrus is taking center stage. That means it’s time to begin making this year’s batch of limoncello.

I made my first batch of limoncello in 2022, and it was so good, I’ve made it every year since. The recipe I use fills ten to twelve, 12 oz. bottles, enough to enjoy throughout the warm summer months and a few extra bottles to share with friends.  

Are you interested in making your own limoncello? You’ll first need to purchase one of those large 1.75-liter bottles of Costco’s Kirkland brand of vodka.* Next, gather your lemons… you’ll need a lot.

 Ingredients

1.75-liter bottle of vodka

20 – 23 organic lemons (depends on their size – some of ours are quite large).

8 cups of water

5 ¾ cups of sugar

Directions

  1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from all the lemons. Try to remove just the outer yellow skin and as little pith as possible.** & ***
  2. Put the peels in a glass container. Pour the vodka over the peels, covering them completely. Cover the top with a lid or, as I do, plastic wrap.
  3. Let the vodka and lemon peels infuse out of direct sunlight (I cover the container with a dark cloth) for at least 4 days or as long as a month. The longer you let the vodka infuse, the more lemony your limoncello will be (that’s a good thing). I stir the mixture about once a week… I don’t know if that’s important, but I love seeing the vodka deepen in color.
  4. After fully infused, line a large strainer with a large coffee filter or paper towels and set it over a bowl, preferably one with a pour spout. Strain the infused vodka through the filter. You may have to press down on the peels to get all of the vodka (because why wouldn’t you want every last bit of the vodka?). Set aside.
  5. In a pan, bring 8 cups of water to a simmer and slowly stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
  6. Mix the sugar syrup with the infused vodka. Stir gently to mix.
  7. Insert a funnel in the neck of one of the bottles and fill with limoncello. Repeat with remaining bottles.  
  8. Chill the limoncello in the fridge or freezer for at least 4 hours before drinking.
  9. Enjoy!    
The magic begins. When infusion is complete, the vodka will be a beautiful, deep yellow.

I have just completed Step 2, and the lemon peels and vodka are infusing as I type. Sometime around mid-May, I’ll strain the peels and mix the infused vodka with the sugar syrup mixture. 

In about a month, I’ll gather these tools to complete the process.

* Obviously, you can use whatever brand of vodka you want. If you purchase a more conventionally-sized 750-ml bottle, adjust the other ingredients accordingly (~10 lemons, 3 ½ cups water, 2 ½ cups sugar).

** Use a sharp, good quality peeler, if possible. Ours, a Messermeister swivel peeler, removes the yellow skin easily, with very little pith.

*** After the lemons are peeled, I offer the “naked” lemons to our local Buy Nothing group and they are snapped up in no time.

Limoncello is simple to make and so yummy to sip. If you make your own, please let me know how it came out!

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Author: Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com

My blog is about travel, relationships, photography, and whatever else pops into my head (even, sometimes, issues surrounding retirement and aging).

113 thoughts on “If It’s Spring… It’s Time for Limoncello!”

  1. Hi Janis, I bought Limoncello once and not a good experience. I think artificial flavouring was added. Homemade always the better route. I love the photos you have shared with this post, especially the bee on the blossom. Happy Spring to you and yours! 💕 Erica

  2. I absolutely adore the scent of lemons, it’s a happy scent and one fruit tree that we’ve always grown, even one on our balcony. Well done, for keeping up the tradition. It could be a happy tradition passed on to the next generation of nieces and nephews from their aunt 🙂

  4. Oh my goodness. I’m so glad you posted this. We need to do this! We have in the past, but I’d forgotten. Oddly enough, we have vodka on our Costco list currently. We’ve made it with that same exact bottle. I don’t know where our recipe is, so I might as well try yours. Fun! And, yes, super satisfying to grow ones own food. We have both a seedless lemon tree and a meyer lemon tree.

  7. Even though I rarely drink alcohol anymore this sounds really refreshing for summer Janis. Plus it’s such an easy recipe, except maybe the time spent peeling lemons. I can almost feel the arthritis in my joints crying out in protest 😉 I hope this summer’s batch is excellent for you to enjoy!

  8. I always wondered how it was made. It is delicious. We have had friends give us some. I shouldn’t drink anymore according to all the doctors and cancer research I’ve read, but I did enjoy a sip the last time we visited friends in Prescott.

      1. Yes, that is one of our main crops, especially 10 miles east of us where we lived before we moved to Prescott. I’m excited about having our own citrus trees. I’m sure that eventually, we will have way more than we need. You’ll have to come get some lemons! Although you probably have your own trees.

    1. It really is easy, Terri. Even peeling the lemons doesn’t take very long. The hardest part is waiting for the vodka and lemons to meld. As you know, there are lemons on trees everywhere here so it’s nice to have a use for a good number of them.

  12. Thanks for sharing the limoncello recipe. I might have a go at making them when the lemon crops matures. Instead of limoncello I made up a cocktail with Elderflower liquer and vodka.

  13. hi Janis, I love limoncello and have a neighbor who keeps us in stock with his homemade brand. He doesn’t have lemon trees though. Love reading these kinds of posts. Thanks for sharing real life joys!

  14. Oh how tempting – I do love the taste of Limoncello, although I don’t really drink anymore. I was wondering what you did with the peeled lemons and was hoping for some (food) recipes of how you used them up, but I see you’ve a system which avoids waste and doesn’t require you to cook up a storm 🙂

    1. The nice thing about limoncello is you don’t really drink a lot at once. It’s almost like a little dessert. I have a lot of recipes that use lemons but it would be hard to use 20 of them at once. I’m so happy that I can share them with others.

      1. You’re so right! I still have a bit left in my last bottle of it. I’m thinking of pouring it over some ice as soon as summer arrives, although I will insist on having bought some nice new garden furniture upon which to sit while I enjoy it too 🙂

  15. What a nice post sharing a special recipe, and your photos were perfect. I can only imagine how your family and friends have discussions before the holidays saying ‘oh my goodness, I hope she brings a bottle of her Limoncello.” 🙂

  16. Yum! I have a friend with lemon trees who sometimes makes Limoncello and I have been lucky enough to sample it. So tasty, and yes, so much better if homemade. Love that you have a Buy Nothing group.

      1. Let’s try this: I found 3/4 of a bottle of vodka in one of my cabinets. Next time I go to Costco I’m loading up on lemons. I figure I can work out the proportions. I’m guessing the recipe is pretty forgiving.
        That’s what I tried to say in my comment that got cut off

  18. Oh, oh, save me a sip! Meanwhile, I wish I could snatch a bunch of those naked lemons…when we lived in the Bay area decades ago, a friend’s sister had Meyer Lemon trees (when most outside CA never heard of the type) and they ‘let me’ (you know how prolific they are!!!) harvest huge bowlfuls. The lemonade made from them was never to be topped ever after! 😎

  20. Hi Janice, I had home made Limoncello for the first time last year. So, very good. I have really enjoyed all the fresh berries from my garden in WA – no citrus though. I’m in the process of moving (again) to warmer weather so will try your recipe.

    1. Washington has its own type of bounty. I was amazed when I first saw berries… BERRIES!… growing by the side of the road. We can grow some berries here (my blueberries are so good), but not like there. Some of my favorite dessert-type recipes combine lemon and blueberries.

  21. Harvesting citrus from trees in the backyard sounds like heaven to me. There’s a bottle of commercial limoncello in the freezer. I use it seasonally to make Trisha Yearwood’s Glazed Limoncello Cookies (recipe available on line). A favorite loaf is lemon poppy seed. And most recently, I made a Madeira cake that has no Madeira in it!

  22. I’ve never tasted limoncello, and alcohol doesn’t like me, but I’m getting high just thinking about all that lemon scent!

  23. Can I just say YAY! I knew you could make limoncello but have never tried. Considering how much I like lemon I’m amazed I haven’t given it a go. Thanks for the recipe— and great to see a blog post from you. 🍋

  25. How lovely/lucky to have lemons from your own backyard! You’re 💯right, Janis. Nothing beats shopping in your backyard for fresh herbs, fruits and veggies!

    Deb

  27. Oh, how wonderful that you have a backyard full of lemons, limes, and oranges! Do you also have grapefruit? One of my favorite summertime cocktails is a gin and tonic with a slice of fresh pink grapefruit and a sprig of basil from my garden. (Wish I could grow the grapefruit here!)

    As far as limoncello, I’ve made it and love it. But the last time I made it and served it at a small dinner party, the guests liked it too much—they drank the entire bottle, haha.

    1. We don’t have a grapefruit tree but there are quite a few in the area. That G&T drink sounds very summery. Funny about your dinner party… I’ve served limoncello over vanilla ice cream, which was a big hit (making a mental note to buy some vanilla ice cream).

  28. But what do you do with all the skinned lemons? I trekked to Costco, bought a big bag of lemons, then re-read your recipe, looking in vain for the part that lemon juice plays.

    1. We have a local Buy Nothing Facebook group. You can offer just about anything on the site and find someone that wants it. I had several people ask for the leftover lemons. You probably have something similar in your area.

      I just googled “recipes that use lemon juice” and found several, including lemon curd (yum) and lemon bars (yum). I even found a question on Reddit that asked what to do with peeled lemons after making limoncello (apparently a common dilemma). Other than lemon curd and lemon bars, several people suggested juicing the lemons and freezing the juice (in an ice tray). I hope that helps!

  29. Looks like WP didn’t like my comment, but thanks for sharing the recipe. You post good ones and I will try this!

  30. That was interesting Janis; I’ll bet this drink “hits the spot” on a hot Summer day. As to the lemons you don’t use, that is great that you’re able to give them to people. I am sure cooks/bakers are happy for them, even a kid looking to set up a lemonade stand. I recently tried a new type of blended yogurt brand called “Too Good & Co.” I may stick with them instead of my usual Greek yogurt, as the flavors are fantastic. Lime, Coconut and also Meyer Lemon are my favorites, but I mention this because they tout on the label that the Meyer Lemon yogurt is made from “rescued lemons”.

    1. Those yogurts sound wonderful! I love all those flavors… you could mix the lime in the coconut 🙂 There are so many huge citrus trees in my area and not enough people to eat the fruit so a lot of it goes bad. I’d love it if they could be rescued.

      1. Wow – I never thought about mixing them together. Now I’m going to try that. I have been eating Triple Zero Oikos forever, so this is a welcome change from boring vanilla. All those lemons need someone to give them a good home – lemonade stands or stores selling fresh-squeezed lemonade.

  31. Looks tasty, but I rarely imbibe more than wine anymore. I do love lemon, though! Enjoy your tasty treat—sounds like a perfect summer sipper.

  33. Oh, how fun, Janis. Your limoncello sounds wonderful, and what a fun ritual to welcome summer. Though citrus doesn’t grow here, I would love to have any kind of fruit trees for my vodka. 🙂 But the elk are like bulldozers when it comes to fences and they use young yummy trees as toothpicks. Enjoy a cool glass on me.

    1. I would love to see an elk in the wild (all I’ve ever seen were signs warning us to watch for them) but I imagine that it is pretty frustrating to have them mow down your fences and plants. I find half eaten oranges on the ground (squirrels, probably) but the critters are too smart to try eating lemons. No elks sighted yet. 🙂

      1. My husband and I are always having to repair fences. We don’t have farm animals, so it’s not urgent that we repair them immediately, but still kind of annoying. I’ll just have to invest in a bottle of limoncello for the summer and enjoy it that way. 🙂

  35. There isn’t much I miss about California, but citrus tops the list. Just ask Ilsa…I’m always hitting her up for fresh oranges! (She has only once delivered, but then again, I have yet to send her cheese like she has requested.)

    The limoncello looks amazing. I have no doubt I would love it!

  38. Wow. Great instructions to go with the recipe. Thanks. Are you able to use lemons from your own tree? Citrus is nearly non existent where I live. I was curious about what happened to all those peeled lemons. Thanks for answering that question for me. Limoncello is far superior to lemonade. 😉

    This year I’m waiting for my sprinkler system redesign before planting, so I probably will have an even less productive garden than usual.

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  41. This looks so good – fresh citrus is the best. Unfortunately, we cannot grow any citrus trees in North Idaho. Too cold of winters. We did get a big bowl of fresh citrus when we were last in Arizona, and I made lemon posset (of which I wrote a post that will be published next week – great minds think alike). 😊 I will definitely be trying your limoncello recipe – thanks for sharing.

    I don’t seem to be getting emails letting me know when you have a new post anymore. They do not show up in spam either. So, I am signing up again.

    1. I had to look up Lemon Posset… yum! I will definitely use your recipe to make a batch. Anything lemon is good for me!

      I’m sorry you stopped getting notifications. So much that happen (or doesn’t happen) with WordPress seems so random. Thanks for signing up again!

  42. I loved the opening where we could feel the garden scents and joy – also, not to sound cheesy – but in the photo with your hands – you have such beautiful hands – lol

      1. Yes yes yes – we want them functional and without pain – so put the beauty on the back burner –
        and not sure if you ever watched Breaking Bad (not everyone’s kind of show) but in the series, Hank’s wife, Marie Schrader, portrayed by Betsy Brandt, is known saying she once was a hand model, it is a recurring joke in the series, which is not true and is often used to highlight her tendency to exaggerate or lie to make herself seem more interesting or glamorous.
        But she really did have nice hands (like the ones in your photo – hahaha)

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  47. My daughter makes her own limoncello and often uses it as Christmas presents. I always assumed it was the juice from the lemons that went into it, but when I think about it we often have something they call cha limao- lemon tea- here and it is just lemon peel and hot water xx

    1. That is interesting… juice would make sense until you consider that most recipes that rely on an intense lemony taste have lemon zest as an ingredient. It’s amazing how soaking the peels in Vodka almost entirely overwhelms the alcohol taste (a good thing in my opinion 🙂 ).

  48. We love Limoncello to drink it pure or in cocktails, but we never made it ourselves. Thank you very much for your recipe. We’ll try it out. We’ll use lemon zest because we love the taste of the lemons.

    ThanksThe Fab Four of Cley:-) 🙂 🙂 🙂

    1. I hope you try it and report back! You can find different recipes online but I’ve used this one for several years with good results. Now that spring has turned to summer, I imagine well-chilled Limoncello will be joining us on our deck more often.

      Also, I just read your post about peonies. They are such gorgeous flowers. Unfortunately, we can’t grow them here so I’ll have to enjoy them vicariously.

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