Italian-American Perfects Limoncello Classic: Pépecello

(Gerry Furth-Sides, photo courtesy of Pépecello) Limoncello, the classic Italian intensely lemon-flavored liqueur most famously associated with and produced in Sorrento, the Amalfi coast, and the island of Capri.  PèpeCello created by restaurant owner Rich Pépe is one form of the  distinctive, all-natural lemon, cold-process maceration liqueur, also hand-crafted in small batches in Sorrento, Italy from a family recipe.

Lemons are also harvested in the north, at Lago de Garda, where we saw them growing in one of the many orchards dotting the countryside.  Limoncello  requires only a simple list of ingredients  lemon zest from strictly non-treated lemons, water, alcohol, and sugar; however, it, must be prepared in the most specific process.  For example, only 100% I.G.P. certified Sorrento lemons are used in the production of PèpeCello.

Preparation is easy but meticulous, wherever commercially or at home.  The process is much more complex than making other lemon products, say, preserved lemons, and requires a little less than three months preserving time. There are many recipes to make this drink at home , including the following one which also offers  explanations of how the process can vary  //www.stripes.com/travel/limoncello-you-too-can-make-italy-s-luscious-lemon-liquer-1.5438 

LimonCello  has been also popular throughout all of Italy.   Over the years, family and friends have celebrated food and drink with the traditional Italian toast of “Cent’Anni”, meaning “May You Live 100-Years of Health and Prosperity”.  Limoncello is usually consumed after meals, but is also  offered any time  in the best tradition of Italian hospitality, whether as an aperitif or a digestive, before or after a meal.  There is even a mention of it being offered at a meeting in the book, The Road to Granchester, when the character is traveling through north Italy right after World II.

This is not to be confused with Liquore Galliano L’Autentico, a sweet herbal liqueur.  This lemony drink Galliano is highlighted by several natural ingredients including star anise, Mediterranean anise, juniper berry, musk yarrow, lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, and Galliano’s hallmark vanilla flavour.

PèpeCello created by Rich Pépe makes carrying on tradition much easier this tradition the  Pèpe family recipe created in 1902 and passed down for generations.  We love it for its clear, fresh flavor that is the very essence of lemon.  We have tried it over sorbet and in a rasperry-inspired cocktail, but we prefer it right over ice as an digestif. 

PèpeCello’s LimonCello’s versatile flavor and cool, refreshing  character lends itself perfectly to pairings with sparkling wines, lemonades, and cocktails.  The company created refreshing cocktail recipes to bring out the best in the liqueur, such as the ones below.

PèpeCello Spritz

4 oz. prosecco
3 mint leaves
3 basil leavesAdd all ingredients to an ice filled wine glass and stir. Garnish with a lemon wheel tucked behind the ice.

PèpeCello Drop
1 oz. PèpeCello
1-1/2 oz. citron vodka
3/4 0z. lemon juice
3/4 oz. raspberry liqueur
lemon lime soda

Rim cocktail glass with sugar. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Garnish with a lemon twist.