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Batch #15 – Limoncello with Meyer Lemons

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I’ve heard that Meyer lemons are a better approximation of the lemons used in Sorrento than normal lemons so I tried a batch. They are not organic (not easy to get organic ones here) but I scrubbed them well and used fruit wash.

The flavor is…well…different. So much so that it doesn’t taste like limoncello to me. It’s as different from what I consider normal limoncello as batches made with lime or orange zest. It doesn’t taste like those other batches, but it’s equidistant from the flavor of limoncello. The aroma is very subtle and the flavor is somewhat more bitter. It sort of tastes like candied citrus zest, both sweet and bitter.

It is a tasty batch but having never been to the Amalfi region of Italy myself, I’m entirely unqualified to say whether it tastes more authentic. I don’t like it as much as my normal limoncello though because it’s not as brightly flavored.

Liquor: One bottle of 151 Proof Everclear

Liquor filtration: 5x

Lemons: 12 Meyer lemons scrubbed with Environne fruit wash

Days peels and liquor rested: 83

Simple Syrup €“ Cups Sugar: 1.75, Cups Water: 2.5

Final filtration: 5x

Batch #14 – Limoncello with Distilled Water

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I changed a few things on this batch but only one that I think makes a big difference. In this batch I used distilled water instead of tap water. We have a WaterWise distiller that I used for this experiment but you can get cheap distilled water at any grocery store. And I recommend doing that because this is a VERY good batch.

The aroma is very clean and crisp. The flavor is also very clean and lemony. I noticed some film on the inside of the bottle but much less than in other batches. This is perhaps the purest tasting batch I’ve ever made. There are no detectable off flavors and it’s a batch I imagine the Italians would love. It needs some time to sit, there’s a heavy dose of heat on the finish but this could prove to be my best batch ever. Two other minor changes to help with the film buildup were washing the lemons with Environne fruit wash before zesting and in the final filtration I added an extra filtering.

Liquor: One bottle of 151 Proof Everclear

Liquor filtration: 5x

Lemons: 12 organic lemons scrubbed with Environne fruit wash

Days peels and liquor rested: 84

Simple Syrup – Cups Sugar: 1.75, Cups Water: 2.5

Final filtration: 5x

LimoncelloQuest Makes its First Acquisition

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I’ve gotten numerous questions on exactly how much zest I use in a typical batch of Limoncello. I’ve also had some very insightful comments regarding how I measure my ingredients. Apparently one “cup” of water isn’t the same amount in the U.S. as in other countries. Being American, this hadn’t really occurred to me but it’s a good point.

So my first LimoncelloQuest acquisition was a food scale! Yes, very exciting. The first thing I did with this scale was measure the amount of zest I use in a typical batch. I just started a new batch with 12 organic lemons. I zested them with the microplane grater yesterday and weighed the resulting zest. The zest weighed in at 46 grams. The lemons were a little on the small side so I bet I often use more like 50 grams but that should give you a good idea of what I typically use to make a batch.

I should also mention that a “batch” for me these days is half of what is described in my standard recipe, using one 750ml bottle of Everclear rather than two bottles. This is primarily to conserve Everclear and get more tests in. Still, this 12 lemon batch I just started contains significantly more zest than I used to use in the past. I may update my standard recipe because I just prefer a LOT of lemon flavor these days.

Limoncello with One Mint Leaf – Review of Batch #13

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