alcohol and alcohol

Limoncino (or Limoncello)

Generality

Limoncello is a particular lemon liqueur. It is a yellow-colored drink with a sweet taste, a strong citrus aroma and an alcoholic content that frames it in the group of spirits.

The limoncello is typical Italian, as it originates from the Sorrento peninsula (Campania region) and, due to product legislation, must be obtained using PGI lemons grown in the same area.

Special features

It is now known that limoncello is a Campanian product, particularly in the area surrounding the town of Sorrento; however, as often happens, the pride of its discovery is still strongly contested among the populations that live in the area. Capri, Amalfi and Sorrento are the three founders of the limoncello and, in all probability, it will never be possible to establish the exact location of the original formula with further precision.

As anticipated, the limoncello nomenclature is bound by a detail of great qualitative importance, that is the type of lemons. These, botanically called fruits (or better known as the citrus fruits) of Citrus limon, MUST necessarily belong to the varieties: sfusato amalfitano or femminiello Sorrentino, different from each other but both characterized by the Protected Geographical Indication.

However, if the IGP of lemons protects the choice of the type of raw material, it does not bind from the place of production of the drink in question; this means that any company can easily buy lemons in the Sorrento peninsula, work them elsewhere and licitly name the limoncello.

Production

Important details on the production of Limoncello

Anyone trying to go back to the original recipe to try an autonomous production will find himself wandering through dozens of different formulas; fortunately, it is a very simple drink to prepare and easy to succeed in all its variations. It is not absolutely clear what the proportions of the ingredients, the infusion times and the duration of maturation of the archaic drink are; ultimately, all that remains is to experiment at least 3 or 4 different variants.

The ingredients are: flavedo of lemon peel (ie only the superficial yellow, without the white one instead defined as albedo ), ethyl alcohol at 95 °, water and sugar. The procedure is:

  1. revenue of flavedo from lemons
  2. infusion in alcohol stirring occasionally
  3. filtration and elimination of exhausted skins
  4. mixing with a sucrose syrup (water and sugar)
  5. maturation in the bottle.

1) First of all, as anticipated, the production of limoncello requires the IGP lemons of the Sorrento peninsula; the choice is divided between the sfusato (or Limone della Costa d'Amalfi) and the femminiello (or Limone di Sorrento), or between a mixture of both. Then, it would be necessary to understand in what moment of the maturation of the lemon it would be more appropriate to take it; Does the peel still have to be greenish or completely yellow? The result would change considerably as the concentration of phenolic substances, carotenoids and essential oils (all active ingredients to be transferred to limoncello) also varies according to the state of ripeness. However, it is always advisable to wash and dry the citrus fruit thoroughly (but without rubbing!) And to work them within 24 hours of harvesting.

2) We then reach the infusion time and the peel size. These must NOT transfer ALL the chemical compounds they contain, as some molecules are bittering or lapping. By cutting them finely or crushing them or leaving them too infused, a very aromatic limoncello would be obtained, but with a marked bitter and tannic taste.

3 and 4) After the removal of the exhausted lemon peels, mixing takes place with the sucrose syrup; without prejudice to the fact that, apart from the traditional recipe, it would be possible to significantly reduce the sugar content by using FRUCTOSE, we realize that in the various recipes of limoncello the proportions are also very different from each other. Some cite a very simple alcohol-water-sugar ratio of 1: 1: 1; others take advantage of a 2: 1: 1; still others 3: 2: 1. The difference is not so much in the preservability, but in the taste and aroma. WARNING! When calculating the alcohol content of a homemade limoncello it is necessary to keep in mind the alcohol LOSS by absorbing the exhausted skins. It will seem strange, but the infusion extraction system implies the penetration of the liquid into the fibers which, by transferring some compounds, retain others. On average, with a 7-day infusion, up to 15% of the alcohol used in the beginning is lost.

5) The last productive detail is the maturation in the bottle; it is inadvisable to consume fresh limoncello and it would be better if it matured for the time necessary for the molecular changes of certain substances. These variations, if from the nutritional point of view impoverish the drink, determine the total achievement of the desirable aromatic bouquet.

For a quick and simple recipe of limoncello, you can consult the dedicated page in Alice's cookbook video: Homemade Limoncello.

Homemade Limoncello - The Perfect Recipe

X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtube

Alternative production of Limoncello

A new method of extraction for limoncello is noteworthy. This system, of which I do not know the technical details thoroughly, makes it possible to optimize the process in different ways: reusing the water for washing the skins, shortening the extraction time (150 'against 7 days) and recovering almost the entire exhausted alcohol. The process is essentially based on the alternative extraction of the active ingredients; with this system, alcohol does NOT enter the fibers. therefore it can be recovered completely with a simple washing. In this way, in addition to saving on alcohol and washing water, it is also possible to reuse spent ones for animal feed and soil fertilization.

Nutritional Characteristics and Limoncello Recipe

The limoncello is NOT a useful drink for frequent or systematic consumption; moreover, as it is a spirits, its portion must be limited to about 1-2 small glasses of 30ml a day.

The excessive and frequent consumption of limoncello can harm above all those suffering from metabolic diseases, mainly hypertensive ones, those suffering from fatty liver steatosis and all those involved in the metabolic syndrome.