Lay My Hat

As you will all know, limoncello is a very popular drink in Italy, but have you tried making it yourself? I have a very good recipe for those who fancy it.

I have also gone one step further and made various 'cellos' including orange, which is available in the shops, but also grapefruit-cello and my favourite mandarin-cello.

I often gives the mandarin and grapefruit to my Italian neighbours and friends, who think it is fantastic. I've also started leaving a small sample bottle for guests and I am now often asked if they can buy some from me, which as yet I haven't sold.

So if any of you want a tried and tested recipe, drop me a message. All you need is a bottle of 95% alcohol, the fruit, sugar and water and Bob is your uncle, or maybe Mario in this case!

I'd love the recipes Raone please. I have made Limoncello before but it's a bit of a problem getting the right strength alcohol in the UK. I love the sound of the mandarin one.

Having tried the Lidl* version I know there is something better out there. So yes a recipe would be good for us too.
I assume it is made with Grappa right?


*Sad I know

Sounds just the ticket, would love the recipe to add to Enid walnut wine recipe she posted a while back

The 95% alcohol might be a problem. Unlike in Italy our government won't let its citizens distil alcohol here in the UK.

I hope I have sent out the recipe for all those you asked for it. Hope you all enjoy. Just to be clear, (thanks Katiegirl) it is the zest of the lemon and not the whole thing.
Good luck and enjoy

It's not as good, but if you can't get alcohol, you can also use vodka. In any case the alcohol should be diluted with water so that it is drinkable.

Homemade is soooo much better than anything you can buy!

@raone

If we are talking about the same drink, I think the mandarin one is more appropriately called "mandarinetto"

Or Mandalacello........it probably depends which country you're in.

Has anyone managed to get 95% alcohol in the UK? I've tried several pharmacies with no luck so far. Apparently you need 95% to extract the oils from the skin of the fruit but if I can't get it then it'll be vodka. I have found a Polish one called Spirytus that's available online but it's a whopping £23.62 for just 50cl.

Katie, it is illegal to sell you 95% alcohol in the UK, it has to be methylated or surgical spirit, which is adulterated to stop you drinking it. (pharmacist hat on).

Hmm thanks Helen, bit of a bummer! Must be a new law?

Going to France next month, wonder whether it would be available over there......

UK pharmacies have never to my knowledge been able to sell 95% ethanol, not for the 25 years I've been qualified as a pharmacist anyway. I don't think you can buy it in France either, our friends go over the border into Italy to buy the alcohol to make their genepi .

Ok I give in then, not worth all this hassle, will have a go with the strongest vodka I can get and see what happens.

Lots of people - on forums - were saying you could get ethanol in pharmacies but they must have been somewhere other than the UK I suspect.

Sorry, you all got it wrong. The best way to make Lemoncello is to add lemon to lemon branded fairy liqued.

Katie, I suspect they were from somewhere other than the UK as you say.