When life gives you lemons…

My grandmother's limoncello

Steps 1, 2, and (cheers!) 3 of limoncello

I tried my hand at limóncello recently and I had interesting results. My first batch was increditly bitter and my second perfectly sweet. After the first batch, I paid a visit to my grandmother. She was excited about my first effort at limóncello and pulled out a big bottle of her own that was dated 2007. It was a yellowish-amber color and tasted so smooth, I could barely detect alcohol. Soon she and my grandfather were unveiling copious amounts of homemade liqueurs and concoctions she’s made in the past and never enjoyed. Box by box, she revealed glass bottles filled with different colored and labeled liquids.


I never knew what a petit chimiste my grandmother was! We smelled or sipped some that weren’t labeled so identify them (what a hard job!) I learned most of the liqueurs were made for the purpose of ridding a cold. She said her mother, my great grandmother, would let her sip on a black currant or raspberry liqueur so when she awoke, all that ailed her would vanish. Today, we know that wouldn't work, but I’m happy to reap other “benefits” of these wonderful bottles. She only used organic fruit from her own garden and the youngest bottle is dated 5 years ago! The smoothness is unreal, no alcohol is detected until I felt warmth in the pit of my belly.

There are all sorts of limóncello to try. My first batch was half grapefruit, while my second was half navel oranges. I hear making it with just limes is spectacular and I can’t wait to try it. Cheers!