LimoncelloQuest

I started two new batches this week to test whether using organic lemons adds to the flavor or quality of the Limoncello. I have absolutely no doubt that it reduces toxins in the finished product since it’s the outside of the lemon that is used in making the Limoncello. However, I’ve heard it said that using organic lemons produces a much greater lemon flavor so I wanted to put that claim to the test. The differences in the lemons themselves are obvious from the start. The organic lemons were literally about half the size of the normal ones and they had more blemishes on the surface as you can see from the photos. The first picture shows the organic lemons. As a result of the smaller size, I used 23 organic lemons and 15 normal lemons to get roughly the same quantity of zest.

I added the zest to two separate containers filled with 100 proof Smirnoff vodka that I filtered 5 times. You can tell that the organic lemons are producing a much darker colored infusion after only a couple days. The normal lemon infusion looks like they injected the lemons with chartreuse by comparison, pretty amazing difference. These two are batches 7 and 8, I’ll keep you updated on their progress.

I made this test batch using the zest of 10 oranges and otherwise the same methodology as the lime-infused batch, 3 weeks infusion with a bottle of 100 proof Smirnoff vodka filtered four times and simple syrup with 2.5 cups water and 2 cups sugar. This batch was easy to distinguish from Limoncello from the color alone. It wasn’t bright orange but it was orange enough to tell.

It had a nice aroma of orange as well but the flavor didn’t pan out nearly as well as the lime batch. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the batch I made with orange last year, but it isn’t great. It’s overly sweet (my fault) and the orange flavor tastes like orange peel rather than oranges. This makes perfect sense but I don’t know why lemons and limes don’t seem to have the same issue. It may be the type of oranges I’m using, I’m not sure. I did use organic oranges, which should have been better than normal ones. Not a successful test. If anyone has an idea why, let me know.

So I wanted to see how it would taste if I infused my liquor with other fruit flavors. The most obvious place to start was limes. So, I made a half batch to test using the zest of 10 limes infused into a bottle of 100 proof Smirnoff vodka. I filtered the vodka four times before infusing with the zest. I let the mixture infused for about three weeks, until the zest started to look pale. I then added a simple syrup mixture of 2.5 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. I filtered, bottled and let that mixture rest for another week.

I didn’t expect this to work well because I had tried it with oranges last year and that batch was an atrocity. This, however, worked MUCH better than I ever expected. The color of the finished liquor was hard to tell from the Limoncello in most lighting conditions but the aroma was distinctly lime. The flavor was too. I made this batch with vodka because grain alcohol is hard to come by in my state and I’m fresh out right now. Usually the benefit of the grain alcohol is that it does a better job of extracting the flavor of the zest during infusion.

This batch had plenty of lime flavor though, and though it was a bit too sweet, the overall taste was absolutely sublime. I took a bottle of it to a party at a friend’s house (which was a bold move since I hadn’t tasted it yet) and everyone liked it. You could use it to make a great mojito or other drink that requires lime but it’s excellent straight up from the freezer.