My Homemade Limoncello

This week I decided to bottle my two batches of limoncello that have been brewing for at least 6 months.  Yes that's right - 6 months, and between me and you, I am very excited about it!!  Why, because the alcohol that I have used was gifted to me by two different set of very good friends.  The first is from Rewa and Pia Harre and is brewed from grape skins and the second is from Bung and Ness Williams from Auckland, although the brew actually came from Bung's brother in Canterbury using a special recipe.

I haven't really been this excited about bottling a batch since I was asked by Bung and Ness to make a special batch for their beautiful wedding at Mantells.  Just quietly though, I was more nervous than excited after Ness told me they were going to hand out a glass to everyone at the end of the night as the last toast and the reality hit that everyone was going to have glass. Eeekkk, what if it didn't turn out right!!!  

I believe everything you enjoy doing should be done with love, so the results turn into a positive outcome.  Fair to say, I put a lot of love into that batch and I was so pleased hearing the wonderful comments at the wedding once the final toast was made.

Limoncello was my very first liqueur that I decided to try out.  The idea initially started when I was watching a travelling program which involved Italy and it stated that Limoncello was very simple to make. All you need is lemons, alcohol (the higher percentage the better - the program stated 80% alcohol) and sugar syrup and time to wait for the two step brewing process to get the finished product.  Of course I thought wouldn’t it be great to make and give out to all my friends as a xmas gift.  

They were definitely right. It was simple to make but the brewing took some time to get the right results but well worth the wait with all my friends giving me rave reviews.  Of course it’s not easy to get 80% alcohol in New Zealand unless you find someone who brews their own, so my first couple of batches were made with good quality vodka (which wasn’t too bad considering it diluted the alcohol content which resulted in a lot more happier people in the morning).

The longer you brew the liqueur the better the taste so if you’re pressed for time, this recipe isn’t for you I’m afraid, but trust me when I say it’s all well worth the wait.  There is one recipe out there though which my good friend Viv makes which takes a day or so to brew and I believe less than a day to for her and her wonderful husband Kev to drink :-)

If you don’t like a sweet liqueur then simply add less sugar syrup to the recipe and it MUST be stored in the freezer.  Don't worry though, this is where the high alcohol content ensures the liquid doesn't freeze, it only keeps it chilled for ready use.

Since my first batch and my first lot of Xmas gifts to my friends and family, I have continued to make this wonderful liqueur and I hear it doesn't last very long at all once it's given out.  

So here's the finished product :-)  plus what each step looks like.  I started a new batch on the weekend so you can see the difference in colour as the brew is allowed to do it's thing after time.

Lemon Skins Brewing - This is my new batch I started this weekend

After the Sugar Syrup has had time to brew - Time to filter and bottle.

Filtering process - I use coffee filters

Finished Product plus new brew - Bottles on right are using spirits from Bung and Ness, while middle bottles are from Rewa and Pia.

The idea of a nice glass of chilled limoncello on a summers evening or as a after dinner treat with some good company really appeals to me.  In fact that's exactly what we did last night.  Simply delicious!!!

Have a great day