For the past few months, there has been numerous posts and questions about making limoncello in our private Facebook group, Making Vanilla Extract by VanillaPuraLimoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy. It is smooth and sweet with an intense lemon flavor. Limoncello can be sipped on its own, or mixed into other drinks and cocktails.

Seeing as we are a vanilla bean company, we decided to take this limoncello recipe up a notch and add some of our very own VanillaPura Madagascar Vanilla Beans to our recipe for added creamy and buttery goodness. 

Ingredients:

  • 10 lemons
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle Everclear (a quality vodka will do if you can't find it)
  • 8 cups (1.9 liters) whole milk
  • 5 cups sugar (1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds)
  • 1/2 Madagascar Vanilla Bean, included pod and caviar
  • Cheesecloth
  • Bottles

Instructions: 

  1. Infuse Everclear with lemon zest for one week:

    - Zest the lemons using a lemon zester or the fine groove side of a grater. 

    -Place the zest and the Everclear in a container and allow to infuse in a dark, cool place for a week.

    -After a week has passed strain the liquid through the cheesecloth into a very large glass, stainless steel, or ceramic bowl.

  2. Make limoncello base:

    -In a large stockpot or sauce pan, warm the milk, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds and pod over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until dissolved.

    -Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (this will take a few hours). Discard the vanilla bean (wash it and save it for another use) and strain the mixture through the cheesecloth.

  3. Combine limoncello base with zest infused Everclear, strain and bottle:

    -Combine the Everclear infusion with the sweet milk and stir together. Pass through a colander lined with cheesecloth to catch any solids. Funnel into bottles and store in the freezer.

    -Be sure to leave room in the bottles for the mixture to expand if it freezes to avoid an explosion. Use within six months. Serve small amounts in chilled glasses.

 

 

Thank you Simply Recipes for sharing!

VanillaPura Pro

Comments

what another beverage i could make with this.

— Connie Casanova

Can EverClear that is 120 proof be used?

— Tammy

My husband is a diabetic, can the sugar be substituted with a non-sugar substitute?

— Diana Jones-Cox

I was looking for answers to the questions on your recipe card.
Does it need to be refrigerated or can you leave it on the shelf until ready to freeze?
Can you substitute heavy cream for the milk?

— Diane Clausen

Can a cool place be a dark pantry in a 78’ air conditioned home in Florida, or would I need to refrigerate during the extraction process?

— Halle Traegner

To make a richer drink, would using cream in place of some of the milk work out?

— Richie Pearlstein

Can’t wait to try this recipe…yum

— Mary Hernandez