LIMONCELLO & MEMORIES OF THE AMALFI COAST

View of the Santa Caterina Beach Club from the hotel

Have you ever been to the Amalfi Coast? If so, what are your favorite memories? I have a few. Many moons ago, in 2008 to be exact, we flew to Naples from Paris and stayed one night—just long enough to savor authentic pizza di Napoli. We were fortunate enough to have a driver take us from Naples to Positano in a luxurious and comfortable Mercedes sedan. We relaxed while enjoying beautiful views of the coast and listening to Andrea Bocelli. We stopped near Sorrento for a photo. It was the most wonderful car ride of my life.

Positano from the water

After four days in Positano, seeing the Amalfi Coast from the water as we traveled by boat to the town of Amalfi was unforgettable. Once in Amalfi, one of the most spectacular hotel experiences of my life began at Hotel Santa Caterina. Perched atop the cliff along the Mediterranean Sea, this exquisite hotel is like nothing I had ever seen before. At the time of our stay, much of the staff had been there for over 25 years, and they welcomed you like family. The cuisine was exquisite—not at all like your typical hotel offering. But the best part for me was waking up every morning, taking the glass elevator with views of the sea, down to the “beach club”—a deck just above the sea, from which you could plunge right into it. But if you preferred the security of a pool, you could have that and the sea, as the staff pumps fresh sea water into the pool every morning. It was amazing.

Santa Caterina Beach Club. And yes, we were babies.

Opting for a dip in the Mediterranean

At night, we savored the finest Neopolitan cuisine. And after dinner, we enjoyed chilled limoncello. Which brings us to today…

Enjoying limoncello after dinner. And then I stumbled home.

What began as a fun and easy quarantine distraction became a trial and error process that took nearly four weeks from start to finish! I thought I’d just follow an existing recipe and “Voila!”--I’d have a delicious and unique hostess gift for summer soirées, assuming we’re permitted to mingle. But when I tasted the “finished” product when made as directed, my lips and throat burned. Like when one drinks moonshine. (Yes, I’ve had moonshine. My grandfather was raised in West Virginia. No jokes, please.) So the recipe took some tweaking, but I got there eventually. The good news is that I now have an original BLG recipe. Limoncello is a digestif (after-dinner drink). It’s traditionally made and consumed in Southern Italy. We drank it frequently during our trip to the Amalfi Coast. It’s stored in a freezer and served chilled in a shot or cordial glass. And because the alcohol content is so high, I recommend sipping just one glass and not shooting it. To me, it screams “holiday” and “summertime.” One glass per customer, please. Take my word for it. ;-)

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 1.5 LITERS

                                        7                  organic lemons, washed well & lightly scrubbed
750 mL                  95% grain alcohol, such as Everclear

                          4 ¼ cups                  granulated sugar
3 ¾ cups                  filtered water

Peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler, making sure to remove just the peel and not the white pith (as best you can…it won’t be perfect).

In a large lidded jar, combine the lemon peels with grain alcohol. Shake well. Let sit in a cool, dark place, shaking every few days, for 20 days.

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 

Strain the lemon peels from alcohol with a fine mesh colander. Add cooled simple syrup and stir or shake well to combine.

Store in sealed glass bottles in the freezer. You can use 1 Liter bottles or choose smaller 16-ounce bottles so you have more to share with friends.

Serve chilled. I had tags and pretty ribbon from many years ago when I still used my maiden name. You can purchase similar custom tags on Etsy to create extra-special custom hostess gifts. You never want to arrive empty-handed, and while most of us know it’s usually safe to bring a bottle of wine, I think a bottle of homemade limoncello would surprise and delight your hosts. And sharing it after dinner takes the party to a whole new level and may even transport us to the Amalfi Coast at a time when travel there is discouraged.

Walking into the town of Amalfi