limoncello is a lemon liqueur traditionally produced in Southern Italy, especially along the Sorrentine Peninsula. (The region’s lemon growers even have a protected designation for their Sorrento or oval lemon.) Today, other citrus-growing regions of the world, such as the United States’ California, also produce limoncello, a reflection of the spirit’s growing popularity, which has taken it from Italian specialty to global staple. Although it is not known exactly where or when it was first produced, with accounts of limoncello dating back at least a century, it remained almost exclusively a local specialty until the 1990s. The basic recipe has remained more or less unchanged: lemon peel, free of pith, is steeped in a clear, neutral spirit, such as grappa or vodka, and sweetened with sugar. See grappa and vodka.
Andrews, Betsy. “One Good Bottle: Limoncello.” Saveur, May 24, 2010, https://www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/One-Good-Bottle-1000083177/ (accessed February 18, 2021).
Clarke, Paul. “Homemade Limoncello.” Imbibe Magazine, July 10, 2014.
Gulick, Amy. “Limoncello Sorbet.” Italy Magazine, July 7, 2015.
By: Rebecca Rothbaum