So far in my limoncello-making career I’ve made very few batches that would qualify as unmitigated train wrecks. This is just one such batch. I read somewhere on the internet that adding the juice of the lemons to the batch along with the zest creates a nice flavor. I doubted it but like everything else I tried it.

YUCK. I can’t even rate it on the normal scale. It has such an overpowering tartness that it almost can’t be endured. Again, this was a fairly predictable outcome but I wanted to try it and now I have a batch of something, not limoncello, that I’ll have to use as some kind of disinfectant.

Just a site update, I’ve significantly expanded the page on recipes using lemon juice. If you have any additions, please email them to me. Enjoy!

I regularly surf the web in search of ideas for better limoncello recipes and I wandered onto this site where I found the idea for putting pineapple into the infusion. The author of the blog was kind enough to send me the recipe which I modified in minor ways to fit my normal limoncello making routine. Here is the recipe I used:

Liquor: Two bottles of 151 Proof Everclear
Liquor filtration: 5x
Lemons: 18 scrubbed Organic lemons plus 1/3 of a ripe pineapple, cut into chunks
Days peels and liquor rested: 35
Simple Syrup – Cups Sugar: 3.5, Cups Water: 5
Days syrup rested with infusion: 5
Final filtration: 4x

Even though I know this liquor contains pineapple I have a hard time detecting the flavor in the finished product. I’d bet that no one could figure it out if you didn’t tell them. The effect on the flavor is exactly what I was told, it makes it a slightly sweeter more “gum droppy” flavor. It tastes more like candy than normal limoncello but it’s otherwise hard to pinpoint the difference in flavor. I think it will be a crowd pleaser though I’d like to use a more ripe pineapple next time. Actually, the entire batch is almost gone already (within a couple weeks) which is rare even around my house.

As an aside, I just added a new page to the site that suggests uses for the lemon juice that the limoncello making process produces. Please email me any additions you may have and I’ll include them.