Summer is Limoncello Time

3 ways to drink it

Mambo italiano!

 

the Mancello knows

I’ve said it before, I love all things Italian. I have Italian heritage, but that didn’t guarantee generations-old recipes from the old country being handed down to me from a little ol’Italian granny. No, my Italian granny did not bake, and in the great American tradition of the melting pot, her mother learned how to make spaghetti after immigrating to America from her German neighbor in Pittsburgh, no less. So you could say we have some gaps in our Italian roots and recipes.

Which is why I was ecstatic when I married someone whose Italian heritage and traditions were so fully intact that we regularly get gifted jars of peppers, pizzelles at Christmas, and homemade limoncello (@tinamg5 you are a genius, grazie mille!)

Cures what ails ya

Limoncello is one of those lovely creations labeled a digestivo, an alcoholic beverage that is drunk after a meal to aid in digestion. Unlike other digestivi, limoncello is typically served ice cold. This is why I keep mine in the freezer, making it great for hot summer nights, especially like the ones we have in the DC area where you swear the sun has gone down, but the muggy heat refuses to dissipate.

Digestivo, but so much more!

Sipping digestivo - Easy enough, just pour yourself an ice cold shot (or two) in a fancy shot glass. Sip this lemony-sunshine-perfection after dinner to aid your digestion. It’s especially good after pizza or fish.

The Mancello - A Manhattan takes a stroll through Napoli. Delizioso! I came up with this one on a warm spring day on the back patio, inspired by my lemon-tiled cafe table.

Family Roots keeps ya grounded.

1. 1 oz limoncello
2. 1 oz rye
3. 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
4. 1/2 oz Cointreau
1. Combine all in mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds.
2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and enjoy on a summer night!

Family Roots --Italian heritage melds so well with Irish, just like in the Rust Belt of America. This was also inspired by a good friend’s recent trip to Cinque Terre and all her instagram photos of said trip (shout out @ins8able!)

1. 1.5 oz limoncello
2. 1.5 oz Gunpowder Gin (particularly good with citrus)
3. .5 oz fresh lemon juice
4. .5 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur
5. 5-7 fresh basil leaves
1. Muddle basil leaves with ice cold Limoncello
2. Add ice, Gin, Rothman, and lemon juice and shake over ice.
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with lemon peel and sprig of basil

Cin Cin!

by Julz Vivalo