I am responding to some of the questions about limoncello, as far as color and aging time. I have traveled to Italy every year since childhood to visit family and friends and I have been experamenting with limoncello for quite a few years, both on my own and with advice from my Italian relatives. The color of your homemade limoncello is largely dependent on the type of lemon you are using. Lemons grown in Italy, particulary in Southern Italy are a much brighter yellow in color than lemons we are likely to buy at our local grocery store or farm market here in the States. Any of you who have ever been to Italy will surely agree that the Italian lemons from the Napoli region, where limoncello became famous, are not only brighter in color than most lemon varieties but are also two to three times the size of an average lemon. Keep in mind also that many of the off the shelf brands we buy here in the US or even some in Italy, surely some food coloring has been added to enhance the color a bit. In regards to aging, I was always a believer that once the lemon zest lost its color, it was ready to proceed to the next step. However, my aunt in Italy said the paleness of the zest only affects the color, and it is the oils in the zest that affect the flavor. My aunt leaves the zest in the alcohol for approximatelt one month, she then strains the zest out of the alcohol and adds the sugar/water mixture and then lets it rest again together for about ten days, she then bottles and puts in the freezer. I have gotten various tips from many other relatives in Italy and what I have come to realize is that there is no set way to make limoncello, you have the basic principles and you then experament from there until you achieve an end product that is to your liking. On a final note I would however say that authentic limoncello is made with grain alcohol and not with vodka, not that I am against using vodka, but in the tradition of keeping limoncello pure to its roots I always recommend that people use the grain alcohol, the vodka is a bit unbalanced, where the grain alcohol gives you the slight tartness of the lemon, the sweetnees of the sugar add mixture and the kick of the alcohol. Hopefully i was a bit helpful!

Maureen; here is the recipe I use, it is a bit detailed but the results are worth it. Here is a picture of the first aging, This was a triple batch. Homemade Limoncello Recipe Ingredients list: One Bottle (750 ml) Everclear (95% alcohol 190 Proof) ÂOne Bottle (750 ml) good but not necessarily premium vodka (40% alcohol 80 Proof) If you cannot find Everclear you can use 100 proof, Smirnoff Blue label. Or just 2 bottles of 80 proof vodka Â15-20 lemons (without scars or flaws in the skin if possible, & NO pesticides) Âabout 3 cups filtered tap water or distilled water (not mineral water) Â4 cups pure cane white sugar. SUPPLIES: Âvery clean and dry gallon glass jar cone shaped coffee filters. (#4 size) ÂLarge glass pitchers. ÂOne cup sized measuring cups Âladle. Âfunnels (to fit the #4 coffee filter,) Âsmaller bottles for bottling into. Step One Day 1: Pour the bottle of Everclear and/or the bottle of vodka into the gallon jar. ÂWash off & dry lemons. ÂUse a potato peeler to peel just the yellow part of the skin off the lemons. Make sure you have NO white pith on the back of the peels, because this causes bitterness in the finished liqueur. Try to make the peel pieces as large as possible, because this will make the straining process easier. ÂPut the lemon peels in the gallon jar and stir gently. ÂCover tightly and put away in a cool (not cold) dark place for alcohol to extract oils from peels, creating an infusion. ÂOccasionally stir or swirl to mix up the oils. ÂLet it set for at least 15 days, preferably 40 days. Step Two ÂDissolve sugar in water and bring to boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Â*If you want to make the Crema version use the milk, water, sugar mixture below instead of the water sugar mixture above. Or you can do a recipe of each. To have both kinds. (You may end up with leftover syrups.) ÂSet syrup aside to cool. (Must be cool to cold before adding to infusion.) ÂUse a slotted spoon to scoop lemon peels from the infusion and discard. Âstrain the infusion thru the filters to make sure all the peel is removed ÂMeasure and add the syrup, (either crema or clear) to the alcohol ÂTHE PROPORTIONS ARE 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 OF SYRUP TO 1 OF ALCOHOL INFUSION. Or to taste, IF IT IS TOO STRONG IT COULD CURDLE. Why this varies is if you cannot find the 100 proof vodka you could use regular vodka, it will not be as strong, so you will use less syrup/crema. ÂIf it does curdle add more syrup until the curdles dissolve. ÂStrain the mixture again through filters into large pitcher. (This is a messy process. If it is the cream syrup I filter it at least twice. The filters will clog quickly and you will use many of them.) In this step I may add a drop or 2 of yellow or orange food color & sometimes a drop or 2 of CLEAR vanilla extract. ÂYou should taste it to see the strength, and adjust it if necessary, but watch out cause it will getcha!!  ***it does mellow out as it sets.  Return to cool dry place for at least for 40 days to begin mellowing process that combines alcohol infusion with syrup to create Limoncello. It needs this setting time. ÂThen Drink (always serve very cold) & enjoy!!! ***This liqueur is homemade and for private use only. Not intended to be sold or served commercially Crema di Limoncello ________________________________________ This is a Cream variation on the standard Limoncello, Âa quart of milk, Best to not use whole milk. Use 2% Do not use low or fat free Âa pound of pure cane sugar, Âa pint of distilled or filtered water: Combine the water, milk, and sugar and bring it to a boil 4-5 times, removing it from the burner & stir it down each time it boils up. (do not let it scorch) This helps it from curdling subsequently. Once the milk has boiled up for the last time, remove it from the fire and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the alcohol, at which point the mixture should become thick and creamy. Then start pouring it through a coffee filters in the funnels to filter out any curds or film, that may have formed. Let it sit in the fridge or in a cool dark place for 30 days, and it's ready to serve. Best if kept in the refrigerator. When making the crema version after mixing the cooled milk mixture with the alcohol, I strain it 2 more times, or you may get a cream layer at the top of the bottle. Also I use a drop or 2 of yellow food coloring to brighten up the color, just like the regular version. You can also use oranges in the same way, then use a drop or so of orange food color. It will taste like a frozen orange crème-cicle.

Here is the recipe I was thinking of making. I think I'll look for another recipe that is similar but without limoncello. Thanks for your suggestions! LIMONCELLO CHEESECAKE SQUARES (Giada De Laurentiis) Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray 8 ounces purchased biscotti 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest 1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained, at room temperature 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup limoncello liqueur*, store bought or homemade 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs, at room temperature Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack. Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

dchall the base of limoncello is alcohol. If the dessert was cooked properly, the restaurant cooked out the alcohol. So the dessert is non-alcoholic, but they almost certainly used alcohol for limoncello. All the alcohol does is extract the oils from the peel of the fruit, and disperses it into liquid form. It's the same with dishes cooked with beer or wine. You cook out the alcohol if you just want to add the base flavors to the dish. All that said, you need to be able to like the drink to make it yourself, or you won't get the right balance of oil/sweetner for your taste to cook with! Oh and BTW I can pretty much guarantee the North End Bostonians, or "Little Italy" use straight up limoncello in the non-alcoholic dessert. ;)