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Russian tourists visiting Italy for the first time cannot understand the local ritual, when several Italians gather near the refrigerator with glasses in their hands, take out a bottle with a yellow liquid, pour the contents and slowly savor it.
Limoncello is a strong lemon liqueur (30-45%) obtained by infusing the peel of the fruit with alcohol for 3-5 days. The traditional producer of the drink is Italy (the regions of Capri, Amalfi, Ischia, Sicily and Sardinia). The most popular brands are Caravella Limoncello, Luxardo, Limoncello di Capri and Villa Massa. The composition of Limoncello includes: lemon zest, alcohol, water and sugar. Other ingredients are not provided by the production technology.
There is a whole ritual of the correct use of Limoncello liquor . If you know all these “wisdom”, you will definitely get maximum enjoyment and absolute pleasure from drinking this drink with a pleasant sourness and delicate sweetness.
You need to know the rules for drinking this sunny Italian drink, because otherwise you simply won’t understand its taste and won’t be able to understand why it is so beautiful?
One of the reasons why Limoncello is not yet very popular in Russia is that you need to know the rules of use, otherwise the liquor will seem tasteless.
“Limoncello” – features of the drink and its use
“Limoncello” – Italian lemon liqueur with a strength of about 35-45%. The product is obtained by infusing the peel of a lemon with alcohol. The liqueur contains lemon peel, alcohol, water and sugar. During this time, the fruit mixture has time to ferment to the desired condition. Italy is considered the birthplace of the liquor, namely, Sardinia, Capri, Sicily. The most popular brands that produce Limoncello are Caravella Limoncello, Limoncello di Capri and many others.
Among the main features of the use of “Limoncello” we highlight 5 main ones:
- Temperature – It is customary to drink liquor very cold. That is why the bottle should be placed in the freezer before use, and even better – freeze the “shots” for drinking liquor, that the glass was covered with a thin layer of ice.
- Dishes – liquor is drunk either from classic “shots” or from miniature liquor glasses that resemble glasses of champagne. If such a mini-glass has beautiful edges and is made of crystal, it is a real aesthetic pleasure to watch how the sunny drink sparkles.
- Serving period – the classic option is to serve liquor after eating the main course, as an alcoholic dessert. Due to the high sugar content (about thirty percent), a drunk glass of Limoncello can kill your appetite. Although true liquor lovers do not mind drinking a glass before a hearty dinner (or by mixing 50 grams with orange juice) – these are already purely personal gourmet tastes.
- By drinking “Limoncello” – it is drunk in small sips, but not in one gulp, it lingers slightly in the mouth. It is necessary to feel the whole bouquet and citrus notes, and after drinking, exhale lemon vapors through the nose. Immediately after this, a pleasant warmth is felt that spreads throughout the body, and that same hop.
- Gender does not matter – “Limoncello” is loved by both women and men. It is a great “companion” for a nice dinner, a delicious lunch at noon, a holiday, a romantic evening, a family reunion, etc.
Note! Italians drink “Limoncello” “under the conversation”, slowly. One glass is enough to discuss some topic of concern to them.
1. Temperature
Limoncello drink only very cold, almost frozen. Before serving, the bottle is placed in the refrigerator for several hours. It is important here not to overdo it and constantly make sure that the drink does not turn into ice, otherwise it will go bad. In Italy, it is customary to chill even the glasses themselves by keeping them in the freezer until a thin layer of ice appears on the glass.
2. Tempo
It is correct to drink Limoncello in small sips, holding the liquid in the mouth for a few seconds, and after a sip, exhale the vapors of liquor through the nose. At this point, a lemon aftertaste is felt and a pleasant warmth slowly spreads throughout the body.
Limoncello is not vodka, emptying glasses in one gulp is pointless, so you will only get the result – intoxication, but do not enjoy the taste at all.
3. Delivery time
Limoncello is a classic digestif – a drink served after a meal as a dessert spirit. This feature is caused by a high sugar content (about 30%). If you drink liquor at the beginning of a feast, your appetite will immediately disappear.
4. Combination with dishes
Limoncello is eaten with sweet dessert dishes (pastries, sweets, chocolate) and fruits. In Italy, they often do without snacks, limiting themselves to a slice of lemon. However, this is already an amateur, since the fortress is quite high.
5. Limoncello with ice cream
A simple but very original and tasty dish. It is enough to put creamy ice cream in a saucer, then pour lemon liqueur on top.
“Limoncello” with ice cream – a proven duet
Liquor in this case acts as an additive to the cult dessert. If you mix all the ingredients in the right proportions, you get authentic Italian lemon ice cream or “gelato”. The perfect dessert for the summer, which will remind you of the hospitality of Italy and the sunny mood of the Mediterranean.
Proper preparation of ice cream with “Limoncello”:
- remove the zest from the lemon, put it in 500 ml of milk and heat (but do not bring to a boil), then cover with a lid and leave to infuse for 10 minutes;
- beat six yolks with 250 grams of sugar;
- pour warm milk with zest into the yolks and mix;
- put the mix on fire and cook until thickened;
- cool the mixture and strain through a strainer;
- Separately beat 200 ml of cream and two tablespoons of Limoncello liqueur;
- combine the creamy mass with the egg mixture and put in the freezer for 2 hours or place in an ice cream maker;
- take the mix out of the freezer and beat again to make the ice cream airy and viscous;
- put the mixture back in the freezer for an hour and a half;
- you can put the ice cream in a mold and serve it, or store it in such a way as to periodically delight yourself and loved ones with a delicious dessert with a citrus flavor.
Cocktails with Limoncello
Lemon liqueur can be drunk not only in its pure form, but also mixed with other drinks. Recipes for the best cocktails are published below.
1. Tangerine Dawn
Ingredients:
- white vermouth – 20 ml;
- tangerine juice – 50 ml;
- Limoncello – 30 ml.
Recipe: Mix all ingredients in a shaker and pour into a glass filled with ice.
2. Frosty afternoon
Ingredients:
- vodka – 50 ml;
- Limoncello – 30 ml;
- mint – 5 grams.
Preparation: as the previous cocktail.
3. Cremoncello
Ingredients:
- lemon liqueur – 30 ml;
- cream – 30 ml.
The easiest cocktail ever. It is enough to pour cold cream over Limoncello. It tastes like ice cream, but with a hint of alcohol.
4. The Skitls
Ingredients:
- honey syrup – 15 ml;
- lemon – 1 piece;
- strawberries – 3 berries;
- Limoncello – 40 ml.
Recipe: cut off the top of the lemon, then extract all the pulp (see photo). Mix syrup, liqueur, juice from a quarter of a lemon and 2 crushed strawberries in a shaker with ice. Pour the cocktail through a strainer into a peeled lemon. Decorate with strawberries on top, drink through a straw.
If there is no desire to make cocktails, to reduce the strength, you can simply dilute Limoncello with juice. Orange fresh is especially good in this regard. The optimal proportion is one to one.
