Ordering Limoncello in Italy...how to order a "good" one?
 

No offense to Susan "Never met a Limoncello I didn't like"...but there certainly is a difference in taste. Just tasted a cheaper brand here in the US and there's a big difference in the taste compared to the brand I usually buy...which has only the 3 ingredients...alcohol, lemons and sugar. Pardon my ignorance in this as I haven't had the pleasure of ordering this in Italy and will certainly be doing this on our next trip. My question is...how do you order a "good" Limoncello...one without added flavors, etc. Should I ask for a particular brand? :)

would you know what brand they may have in Italy to ask for? Would you know which brand that you personally consider "good"? Maybe the waiter will bring you something he thinks is good but you don't. Personally, I think you should just ask for one, drink it and if you like it then ask for the brand name.

I want one without added flavors, colors, etc....just the alcohol, sugar and lemons!

I have bought limoncello in the US and in Italy. What I buy in Italy has always been good and the ones in the US have been good too. Maybe I'm naive but I have never seen one with the additives. I never got a bad one when ordering off a menu or purchasing in a store.

I agree with Sandi - if you find you really like at a restaurant, note the brand name so you can get it again.

Maybe the difference in taste comes from the region the lemons are grown?

I wonder if they do tasting flights of limoncello like you can do with wine? That would be really interesting!

Ask if it's home made.

I agree that I, too, got a limoncello (in a restaurant) that tasted like lemon artificial flavoring. Otherwise, what I've gotten tasted like in Italy.

Have you ever made it? Very easy. I started making it after I saw Giada di Laurentiis make it on the Food Channel. If you go to foodtv.com and search limoncello, it will give you the option of several recipes. As I said, I've only made hers.

A friend of ours made some around the holidays and said he used a Martha Stewart recipe (which of course got him some kidding). It was really good and he said it wasn't that tough to make.

No thanks, I'd rather buy it! ;) Maybe I'll just see if I can order the brand I
have at home or ask for one with no additives...otherwise I could be tasting and tasting and tasting! 8-)

ahhh limoncello -- I'm using some in a pasta dish tonight.

The ones I've bought at Trader Joe's have actually been fine.

After seeing Limoncello mentioned on these boards so much I am dying to try some and, since I'll be in Italy this summer, it seems like that will be the perfect opportunity. Is Limoncello an "after dinner" drink like a liqueur or is it appropriate to order at other times?

Kathryn, yes, it's generally an after-dinner drink, although I don't see why you couldn't have one when you take a break in the afternoon to sit at a cafe and watch the world go by!

cheryl, when ordering, I was never given a choice of different kinds, although that doesn't mean the restaurant didn't have more than one. I must have been lucky, I really never did get one I didn't like! :-d

Hi C,

If ordering in a restaurant or cafe, ask to see the bottle and read the ingredients.

Also, if it is very yellow, it likely has artificial ingredients. Good limoncello is greenish.

((I))

I always think of it as an after dinner drink. It really is very easy to make. You soak lemon peels in vodka for a couple of days. You mix it with a simple syrup of sugar and water. That's it.

The first time I had limoncello was at my favorite Florence restaurant, Il Cantinone del Gallo Nero. It was rainy and cold when we entered and the waiter brought us a complimentary glass of wine to help warm us up. After a wonderful meal and a shared bottle of wine, my friend ordered vin santo y cantucci. I wasn't up to dessert and frankly didn't think I wanted anymore alcohol. Our wonderful waiter, who actually sang as he worked, brought me a complimentary limoncello. I was hooked. Both on limoncello and the cantinone.

"Limoncello di Capri" is an excellent brand and I have tried several. It was first recommended to me at an enoteca in Milan as being one of the best in Italy. It is available at most enotecas and Rome Airport Duty Free.

Limoncello at Trader Joe's? I thought they just sold beer and wine (and not even that in Maryland...)

The Wash Post ran a receipe in Dec. calling for grain alcohol, which would be better than vodka, but I also saw one in the Milan airport the other day that cited grappa (can't imagine).

But even in Italy, the quality varies widely. You can buy a huge bottle in grocery stores for 5 euros that looks like reduced Mountain Dew ...

My suggestion: if you find one you like remember its name and request, although not many restraurants seem to carry the same brands.

if you like it the limoncello di sorrento is usually good. the factory is on a main street and you can watch them make it. frankly i prefer grappa

Whether you could buy limoncello at Trader Joe's would depend on the liquor laws in your state, and what kind of license the specific TJ's has. Some states only allow sales of liquor above a certain alcohol count in state stores, and some might allow it but require a different license. Perhaps local city or town laws might come into play as well.

In California you can buy any kind of liquor in TJ's but in Massachusetts, they only sell beer and wine. And because of our ridiculous laws here, they can only even sell that in three stores in the state!

So you can use it in cooking too? I would assume it's just a splash for the lemon flavor, and the alcohol cooks out?

Yes you can cook with it but be careful! It's so powerful that the fumes once caught fire on my gas stove top.

Seriously. I now add the limoncello away from the stove top, even though I've cooked with wine etc. for years.

You can make a nice base with melted butter and limoncello, add a little water and cornstarch to thicken it, and then pour in the cooked drained pasta. add herbs and grated parmesian.

I'm making some tonight with some meyer lemons as well--new (created) recipe.

Yum. I make a nice lemon-wine-butter sauce, but this sounds like a nice variation. It's not too sweet?