How to drink limoncello: useful tips

Anyone who has ever been to Italy, knows that limoncello is a traditional alcoholic Italian drink, without which no event can do. Limoncello is bought in the store and cooked on its own, it is drunk before and after meals, limoncello is used as a separate drink and as part of cocktails. Many provinces of Italy are still fighting for the title of the discoverers of this drink. There is a legend about how this lemon liqueur appeared. One hostess, once again not knowing what to do with a huge harvest of lemons, decided to make a drink from them. She mixed several ingredients and gave the resulting drink to her husband and neighbors. Everyone was delighted with the unusual taste and aroma. Soon the family of this woman acquired a patent for the production of limoncello and became rich, putting the production in a big way.

How to cook limoncello

Before you learn how to use this drink, we will tell you how to cook limoncello at home.

1. To make lemon liqueur, you will need a kilogram of ripe lemons, two glasses of ethyl alcohol, half a kilo of sugar and 400 ml of water.
2. Lemons should be washed and gently peeled. We need only peel, lemon itself can be used to make jam. When cutting the peel, it is very important to cut it very thinly so that the sour juice of the lemon itself does not get into the composition of the future drink.
3. After that, you need to put the crushed zest in a glass bottle and fill it with alcohol. Leave the prepared lemon-alcohol mixture in a dark and cool place for 10 days. Every day, you need to shake the future drink several times so that the taste of lemon is more pronounced and saturated.
4. Separately from sugar and water you need to prepare a thick syrup. To do this, pour sugar into the water and hold over low heat. When the sugar has dissolved and begins to thicken, the syrup is ready.
5. After 10 days, the tincture is filtered and mixed with sugar syrup. Your limoncello is ready!

However, do not rush to try the resulting liquor.The fact is that the correct use of this drink is the key to its true taste. Limoncello is impossible to drink warm, so they drink it not just cold, but almost frozen!

How to drink limoncello

If you decide to treat your guests with this unusual drink, it is worth considering a lot of nuances.

1. About an hour before the treat limoncello is placed in the freezer. Here you need to be very attentive. Limoncello must be sufficiently cooled, but not allowed to freeze the liquor - it will be irretrievably damaged.
2. There, in the freezer placed glasses for drinking a drink. Limoncello taken to drink from glasses with a thin frost on the walls. For this liquor is better to use glasses with high sides, as for champagne. Before freezing the glasses must be well dried, otherwise the foreign moisture will spoil the taste of the drink.
3. The next question is when to serve the drink? In Italy, the drink is drunk both before and after meals. Lemon liqueur very well plays the appetite, so it is often served before the main course. If limoncello is served after the meal, it is likely that dessert will be served next.
4. It is very important to choose the speed of drinking. Of course, you should not drink limoncello in one gulp - you will not feel the taste of liquor. You need to drink with gusto, warming up the drink in your mouth before you take a sip. However, too much pleasure is not worth it. You have to drink a drink before the glass melts. In any restaurant in Italy you will be offered to pour limoncello into a new frozen glass, if you did not have time to drink a drink. So do the hospitable homes. Many guests try to drink limoncello before the glass melts, so as not to bother the hostess.
5. Before you drink limoncello, smell it. From him comes a unique citrus scent. Then take a sip and exhale the air through your nose. Thus, you will feel a unique aftertaste, for which many Italians love this liquor.
6. Limoncello is a standalone drink that does not serve snacks. The maximum that can be expected is a piece of lemon, which is decorated with a glass. Any Italian table implies the presence of fruit and dessert on the tables, which you can also have a liqueur.
7. Lemon liqueur is very easy to drink.Due to the large amount of sugar and lemon, alcoholic notes are almost not felt. Therefore, many people drink more than they normally could afford. Be careful, limoncello - insidious drink that can quickly intoxicate.
8. After the next glass, limoncello should be kept for at least 20 minutes before sipping the next glass. This will protect you from intoxication and help you taste the true taste of the drink.
9. If you drink limoncello for the first time, you need to pour a little drink in a glass in order to have time to drink it before warming the dishes.
10. Many people are interested in what is best to drink, homemade limoncello or a drink prepared in production. We, Russians, far from the Italian culture and the natural taste of lemon liqueur, it is better to try real limoncello, prepared by a trusted manufacturer. Only knowing the original taste, you can try to cook something like that.

Knowing the technique of drinking, you can feel its true taste and enjoy the delicate aroma of Italian alcohol.

Cocktails with limoncello

As noted, limoncello is not only a standalone drink.He is quite well involved in many popular cocktails, bringing in a subtle citrus flavor.

1. Orange Heaven Mix 50 ml of orange juice with 20 ml of white vermouth, season with 30 ml of limoncello. Mix everything thoroughly and pour it into a glass with ice.
2. Hot frost. The cocktail is made from limoncello (30 ml), vodka (the same amount) and a few drops of mint. Cocktail served with crushed ice.
3. Limoncello ice cream. Lemon liqueur should be mixed in equal proportions with cream. It turns out this "cremoncello", as the Italians say. It tastes like ice cream with alcoholic notes.
4. Skittles. This is a popular cocktail that can not be imagined without limoncello. Mix 40 ml of limoncello, add a little honey syrup, lemon juice and strawberry pulp. Mix all ingredients with crushed ice. Served in skins in lemon peel. To do this, cut off the top of the citrus, scrape the inside with a spoon, leaving only the peel, pour the prepared cocktail inside. Lemon is decorated with cut hat and strawberry. Served with a straw.

Limoncello can be drunk with any one-to-one citrus juice.

For many Italians, Limoncello is not just a drink, but a culture.The traditions of Italian cuisine, as well as the taste of the original alcoholic beverages can be felt only in their homeland, in sunny Italy. Try limoncello, drink it properly to truly appreciate the natural taste and aroma of this drink.

Video: how to make limoncello at home