Lemon and Limoncino
I have always loved lemon. It is not only delicious but healthy, fragrant
and nice-looking as well. I like it in any form: ice cream, lemonade, cake or
tea.
In the villages of the Cinque Terre, I have taken several photos of lemons
in colourful baskets or locally made ceramic bowls. The yellow of lemon and the
blue of the Ligurian sea match so nicely…
Lemon trees are all over the place, almost everyone has one in the garden.
There is even a lemon festival in Monterosso, see details under
Festivals.
Italian lemon and Limoncello are famous not only around Sorrento and in
Sicily but in the Cinque Terre as well, thanks to the sunny climate. The tasty
liqueur is called Limoncino here.
Local restaurants often offer you Limoncino at the end of the meal. If you
visit a family, they will probably serve you their homemade liqueur. If you
would like to take home this real mediterranean drink, you can buy it in any
shop in the Cinque Terre. Of course, you can also make your own Limoncino.
Recipe for limoncino
- 5 big lemons
- 1 L 90% pure alcohol
- 1-1.5 L water
- 800 g sugar
Peel the lemon. Mix the yellow of the lemon zest with alcohol in a closed
container and leave it to ferment for 4-5 days.
Dissolve sugar in water. Add less water if you would like a stronger liqueur.
Add the water/sugar mixture to the container with lemon and let it ferment for
another 5 days. At the end, filter well, fill it in bottles and put it into the
freezer. Serve it in chilled glasses!
If you would like to find out more about limoncino, watch this short video with Cesare,
the owner of the "BURASCA" store in Manarola.
Italian gastrotrip: how to make limoncino?
