Almost every bottle of limoncello looks the same: bright yellow, a lemon on the label, a promise of the Amalfi coast. Behind the labels the bottles differ a great deal. Some come from the Veneto, some from Sicily, one from a Burgundy liqueur house, and a growing number are made here in Australia from local lemons. Strengths run from 20 to 35 per cent, and two of the bottles we carry are not really limoncello at all.
This guide explains what limoncello is and how it is made, what is actually protected about Sorrento and Amalfi lemons, how the Italian and Australian bottles differ, and how to serve it.
What limoncello is and how it is made
Limoncello is a lemon liqueur built on four ingredients: lemon peel, alcohol, sugar and water. Nothing is distilled from the lemon. The peel is steeped in high-strength alcohol until it has pulled the oils out of the zest, the infusion is strained, and it is then mixed with sugar and water to bring it down to drinking strength and sweetness. The technical files for the two protected Italian lemon liqueurs describe exactly this: cold maceration of the peel in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, then blending with water and sugar.
Because the flavour lives in the oil of the zest rather than the juice, the bitter white pith is the enemy. The Canberra Distillery describes its version as lemon zest "without the pith" infused in wine spirit with sugar, which is the method in one sentence.
Not every producer stops at the peel. Luxardo says its limoncello is made by infusing alcohol with "peels, pulp and juice", not the peel alone. Differences like that are never on the front label.
The lemon, and what is actually protected
Limoncello is associated with the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi coast, south of Naples, but the association needs stating precisely. The word limoncello is not a protected name, and any producer anywhere may use it. What the European Union protects is the lemon. "Limone di Sorrento" IGP covers the Ovale di Sorrento cultivar grown in six municipalities of the peninsula plus Capri and Anacapri. "Limone Costa d'Amalfi" IGP covers the Sfusato cultivar grown in thirteen municipalities of the coast. Both specifications call for a medium-thick peel rich in essential oil, which is why these lemons suit limoncello: the flavour is in the skin.
Beyond the lemons, two narrower liqueur names are registered as geographical indications, "Liquore di limone di Sorrento" and "Liquore di limone della Costa d'Amalfi". Each must be made in its own zone with at least 250 grams of whole local IGP lemon per litre of liqueur, by cold maceration of the peel, and each sets a minimum strength (30 per cent for Sorrento, 25 per cent for Amalfi) and a sugar band of 200 to 350 grams a litre. None of the bottles below carries either name. When a producer says it uses Sorrento or Amalfi lemons and does not carry the protected name, that is a claim by the producer, not a certification.
Where limoncello was first made, whether Capri, Sorrento or Amalfi, and by which family, is disputed and mostly a matter of marketing.
The Italian bottles
Luxardo Limoncello is the one most people will recognise. Luxardo is at Torreglia, near Padua in the Veneto, in the north east of Italy, not on the Amalfi coast, and the house is open about it: the lemons are "harvested in southern Italy". Luxardo gives the strength as 27 per cent and says the recipe was first advertised in 1905. Luxardo Limoncello is the safest first bottle and sits in the middle of the range on strength.
Limonio is the Sicilian counterpoint. Casa Limonio, at Partinico west of Palermo, makes its limoncello by infusing the peel of the Femminello di Zagara Bianca variety, grown, it says, on its own land. At 35 per cent, Limonio Limoncello is the strongest bottle in this article, and it drinks that way, with the zest well forward.
Distilleria Negroni is another northern house, at Mareno di Piave in the province of Treviso. Its limoncello is a natural infusion bottled at 28 per cent, and the distillery's own note is lemon yellow, a nose of lemon zest and a fresh, intense palate. Distilleria Negroni Limoncello Liquore is the lighter style, and a good bottle if you find Luxardo too rich.
We also carry a Limoncello di Sicilia from Pellegrino, the Marsala house better known for its fortified wine.
Vedrenne deserves a mention here even though it is not Italian. Vedrenne is a liqueur house at Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy, France, set up after the First World War, and its limoncello is made from Sicilian lemon peel macerated in alcohol. Vedrenne Limoncello is a French take on a southern Italian idea, bottled at 25 per cent.
The Australian bottles
A liqueur made by maceration needs no still, so local producers have taken it on. Three straight limoncellos are in our range, with two more below that bend the style, and they are not copies of each other.
Cello Limoncello is a brand name, not a description. Cello Liqueurs is at Smithfield in New South Wales, describes itself as "the taste of Italy made in Australia", and makes its limoncello by hand from fresh local lemons and sugarcane alcohol. The producer's own serving advice is straight from the freezer over crushed ice. Cello does not publish a strength, so we will not guess one. Cello Limoncello is the bottle to reach for if you want an Australian limoncello made in the classic sweet style.
Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello is the outlier on strength. Three Foxes is an organic distillery at Heidelberg West in Victoria, and Sunny Arvo is made from organic lemons with a small addition of lemon myrtle, the native Australian leaf. At 20 per cent it is well below every other bottle here, and that is a point of difference rather than a weakness: it is the natural choice for a spritz, where a 35 per cent limoncello can overpower the wine. Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello comes in a 700ml bottle.
Canberra Distillery Limoncello is made at Mitchell in the ACT, and the distillery is precise about its method: lemon zest without the pith, infused in a spirit distilled from wine, with sugar, and nothing added for colour or flavour. The distillery describes the result as tangy, lasting zesty bitterness and a mellow sweetness, and recommends serving it neat from the freezer or with prosecco or soda. No strength is published. Canberra Distillery Limoncello is a 500ml bottle.
Two that are not standard limoncello
Autonomy Bitter Limoncello starts as a limoncello and ends somewhere else. Autonomy Distillers is a craft distillery in central Victoria with a stated focus on sustainable production, and its founders have said publicly that they collect citrus peel from a Melbourne juice company after the fruit has been pressed; this is the lemon version. The balance is pushed towards bitterness, and the bottle copy runs from lemon curd sweetness to a refreshingly bitter end. It sits between a limoncello and an Italian bitter, and suits a spritz or soda as much as a straight pour. Autonomy Bitter Limoncello is the bottle for people who find ordinary limoncello too sweet.
5Nines Distilling Gincello goes the other way. 5Nines is a small batch distillery in the Adelaide Hills, and Gincello is its blend of a traditional limoncello with a specially made lemon gin. The gin brings juniper, coriander seed, cardamom, angelica, cassia, clove, almond and native quandong to the lemon, and at 31 per cent it is stronger than most of the limoncello here. The distillery suggests it neat with ice, or with lemon tonic or soda and a wheel of lemon. 5Nines Distilling Distillers Release Gincello is a 500ml bottle.
How to serve it
Cold, small, and after a meal.
Temperature. Cold suits it. Chilled, limoncello tastes less sweet and the lemon oil comes forward; at room temperature the same bottle reads as syrup. The Canberra Distillery and Cello both recommend keeping the bottle in the freezer and pouring straight from it. Three Foxes simply says chilled for its 20 per cent Sunny Arvo, so the fridge will do for that one.
Measure. A small glass, 30ml or so. It is a digestivo, drunk slowly at the end of a meal, not a shot.
Long. Most of the producers in this article suggest a long drink as well. Luxardo suggests it on the rocks with soda or tonic. Three Foxes gives a spritz at 60ml of limoncello to 90ml of prosecco with a slice of lemon, or the same measure with tonic and rosemary. Canberra Distillery suggests prosecco or soda.
Food. Casa Limonio recommends its limoncello with fish dishes as well as with desserts, biscuits and ice cream. Cello's suggestion of pouring it over ice cream is the easiest dessert in this article.
Where to start
- Never had limoncello: Luxardo Limoncello, at 27 per cent.
- Want the full-strength Sicilian style: Limonio Limoncello, at 35 per cent.
- Lighter and cleaner: Distilleria Negroni Limoncello Liquore, at 28 per cent.
- Australian made, classic style: Cello Limoncello or Canberra Distillery Limoncello.
- For a spritz, or if you prefer it low strength: Three Foxes Sunny Arvo Limoncello, at 20 per cent.
- Find limoncello too sweet: Autonomy Bitter Limoncello.
- Something unusual: 5Nines Distilling Gincello, at 31 per cent.
The full range sits on our Liqueurs page, and we deliver to every Australian state and the ACT.