Making liqueurs for the Holidays is one one my favorite ideas because it’s so festive, fun and unusual since most people don’t know how to make it. Anyone can come to a Christmas party with a bottle of wine in tow, but making something with your own hands says you put forth the time and effort to give your hostess something special.
Bring to parties, give to friends and family along with the recipe on decorated paper and spread a little Holiday cheer. Long after the cookies are eaten, stockings have been hung and presents are passed, the bottle of Limoncello will still be around (unless you have very thirsty friends!) in the freezer, ready to be pulled out after dinner for a sweet, icy, lemony shot to sip on. Drink alone, or drizzle between layers of white cake before frosting, for an interesting twist. Really, you are only limited by your imagination!
Makes enough for 3-750ml bottles (or 6 bottles half that size, which is the recommended size for giving away)
- 1 bottle (750 ml) of Everclear Grain Alcohol, 95% vol (190 proof) (about 3 1/4 cups)
- 10 large lemons
- 6 cups of water (*Note: You can always add more water to the finished recipe if too strong, but in this case, I don’t think you will need it.)
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (1.2 pounds)
- glass bottles for giving away
If using 75% alcohol vol. Everclear
makes enough for 2 750ml bottles of alcohol (or 4 bottles half that size, which is the recommended size for giving away)
- 1 bottle (750 ml) of Everclear Grain Alcohol, 75% vol (about 3 1/4 cups)
- 8 large lemons
- 3 1/4 cups water (*Note: *You can always add more water to the finished recipe if too strong for your taste.)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- glass bottles for giving away
This recipe occurs in two different stages: first the macerating of the lemon peels in alcohol, and then the actual brewing with the rest of the ingredients.Â
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Wash your lemons well. Peel the lemons, making sure to only separate the yellow part of the peel from the fruit, and not to go too deep. A potato peeler does the trick. Try not to get a lot of the white on your peel.
- Place the peels in a big glass jar with the alcohol; try to find one big enough to accommodate all the ingredients in the recipe, (or divide mixture in half to fit containers accordingly), seal tight and let rest for two weeks. Find a dark corner in your house, like the basement, cellar or closed kitchen shelf where you let the Limoncello rest. Absolutely do not leave it exposed to sunlight.Also, do not open the jars while they are resting.
- After macerating for two weeks, the alcohol is now ready to be drained and mixed with the water and sugar.
- Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan on low until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
- Strain the lemon peels from the jars and mix the alcohol with the sugar and water in a large pot or some other container big enough to hold all the ingredients. After everything is mixed, transfer the liquid back into jars and seal tightly for the second resting period.
- Again, for the second time, let rest in a dark place for 1 month. You can shake the liquid gently if you start noticing some sugar deposited on the bottom of the jars.
- After a month, it is time to bottle in whichever glass container seems fitting for you. Just make sure you can fit your bottles in the freezer. Keep the Limoncello in the freezer, like you would vodka, and enjoy anytime. The liquor can set out at room temperature as well, so it’s no problem when shipping or wrapping and giving them to friends. Just instruct them to keep it in their freezer as Limoncello should be served ice cold.
Happy Holidays and Brew Responsibly!
Krysta lives in a little ski town with her husband & three kids & is passionate about cooking, baking, & entertaining. She would love it if you stopped by her blog,My Life In Food, to see what she’s cooking up these days.
As you can see, Krysta is a talented cook and food blogger. Be sure to pay her a visit and thank her for this wonderful idea for Christmas and to check out the delicious recipes she offers on her blog. If you liked this one, you may also enjoy:
Vanilla Grapefruit Granita Cocktail
Sangria
Vanilla Rum Cola
Cranberry Champagne
Make sure to leave her a comment to let her know that you enjoyed her guest post today!
To go with this fun, creative DIY gift idea, check out a few other gift ideas you may want to consider:
Disclosure: For your shopping convenience, we are including a link when possible for each gift idea so that you can purchase if you know someone who’d enjoy it. These are affiliate links, through which we are paid a commission percentage from each purchase. We are donating 100% of the profits from the Christmas event through our blog to The Spoon Foundation. We are passionate about helping provide good nutrition to children struggling with malnourishment. Read more about our family’s experience with the problem of malnourishment here.
If this is your first day joining us during the series or if you missed when we announced it, be sure to check out our current giveaway, a prize package that includes a picnic basket/market tote AND a beautiful table covering, sponsored by Sheri’s Art Studio:
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About the Author
Adopted at age 2, grew up in the Charlotte, NC area. Obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Loves being a Mom of two and taste-testing Chef John's culinary creations and sharing them with readers.
I am excited to try this! My only question is if 3 weeks would be okay for the second waiting period instead of a month (Christmas is in 5 weeks).
Cat, I am not sure and the best thing to do is to ask Krysta, who wrote this post for us. You can contact her through one of the links in this post to her blog. Thank you!