Limoncello

Limoncello

Make up a batch of this boozy lemony drink - it's great as a homemade gift or poured over ice cream

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 2 litres

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Ready to drink in 2 weeks

Method

  1. Pare the zest from all the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
  2. Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vodka and peels and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly.
  3. Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2004.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • 01 November 2007

    Kelvin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made mine with citrus absolute vodka and reduced the sugar by 250g

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 13 January 2008

    Mary commented on this recipe

    Am in the middle east, made this with Smirnoff vodka for a gourmet club Italian dinner. Excellent and disappeared very quickly!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 29 August 2008

    AnnP commented on this recipe

    Would be interested to know if you're suposed to add the lemon juice to this recipe. Doesn't make it clear in the instructions.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 10 November 2008

    Gordon rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Zest only - that way you get the lemon flavour but none of the bitterness. Have just added the syrup and it tastes great already, not sure it'll last another week...

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 19 November 2008

    Chris commented on this recipe

    Love the sound of this recipe but how long will it Keep?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 17 December 2008

    Jeanie Mas commented on this recipe

    Have made this using lemons from my tree - picked them Sunday. Where do I get the bottles shown in the recipe picture?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 22 December 2008

    Chris commented on this recipe

    Hi Jeanie Mas. Lakeland Ltd sell preserving bottles. www.lakeland.co.uk

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 03 January 2009

    miche rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    too much sugar! A waste of vodka. didn't work for me

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 23 February 2009

    Sarah-Emily commented on this recipe

    I have ordered my palermo bottles from Lakeland and can't wait to make this and the Cranberry vodka, although I have a glut of frozen rasperries so it will probably be rasperry vodka! My boyfriend must be bored of hearing me going on about them!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 16 November 2009

    Kay Mount commented on this recipe

    Is the vodka etc added to hot sugar syrup?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 07 December 2010

    BrandNewBaker commented on this recipe

    I've got a horrible feeling I just wasted a whole litre of vodka by adding the peel from waxed lemons by mistake. Anything I can do to salvage it, or is it ruined?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 10 December 2010

    Gaby commented on this recipe

    BrandNewBaker, it shouldn't make any difference. If I couldn't get unwaxed I would buy waxed and give them a good scrub.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Nic

    11 December 2010

    Nic commented on this recipe

    does anyone know how long this last for once made? i want to make it as an xmas gift but not sure when to start.. thanks

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 11 December 2010

    Gaby commented on this recipe

    Hi Nic, drinks like this last for ages so don't worry about it going off. It may deteriorate in flavour after a few years but still be drinkable. I'm going to make a batch tomorrow for gifts.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 15 December 2010

    Lynne commented on this recipe

    I have just added the dissolved sugar and it has gone a bit cloudy is this normal?

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 28 December 2010

    Gaby rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really easy to make, good lemon flavour. Re the comment on sweetness, this should be served very cold so you need extra sweetness as temperature affects it. You can keep in the freezer and serve it directly from there

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 05 January 2011

    janesaunders commented on this recipe

    Made it and love it - now on the look out for good cocktail recipes to use it in

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 12 March 2011

    sallymount commented on this recipe

    Jamjar.com do some lovely bottles in different sizes and shapes -it makes a super gift with a homemade label!!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 13 October 2011

    littlegreendragon13 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for Christmas presents last year and everyone loved it! It was so simple to make, I can see myself making this again very soon!!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • 17 November 2011

    Tash commented on this recipe

    Does anyone know if I leave the lemon zest in, or do I need to strain it at some point??

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 2 litres

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Ready to drink in 2 weeks

Great poured over ice cream

Ingredients

  • 5 unwaxed lemons
  • 1l bottle vodka
  • 750g caster sugar
  • 700ml boiling water
Print this recipe
Add to your binder

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, and receive your first 3 issues for just £3

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here

Buy ingredients

With just one click, the full list of recipe ingredients will be put into a basket at your choice of provider. Choose from:

mySupermarket Compare prices and choose a retailer you wish to buy them from.

Ocado Let Ocado deliver all you need for this recipe, right to your door

Tesco Buy all the ingredients from our recipes through your Tesco online shop.

new

Asda Shop with Asda? You can now buy ingredients for our recipes via your Asda online shop.

In association with the above providers. Terms and conditions apply.

Close