Cheers—The colorful, trendy limoncello

Limoncello’s origin dates to the turn of the last century. On the Mediterranean island of Capri, limoncello is credited to a hotel owner who offered the yellow liquor to her guests. In Azzurra, limoncello is credited to a bar owner whose specialty was his nonna’s old recipe. And on southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast, large families always served limoncello to illustrious guests. There are other stories that link limoncello to fishermen, who drank to fight off cold weather, and monks, who imbibed occasionally between prayers. No matter its origin, the popularity of limoncello has spread from Europe to the U.S., Great Britain and Australia. Although limoncello was originally a digestivo—an alcoholic beverage served just after a meal—that is best served cold, it has become a much-requested ingredient in colorful, trendy cocktails. It is easy—and relatively inexpensive—to make. Its only ingredients are sugar, water, lemon zest, alcohol [Everclear or 100-proof vodka] and time [anywhere from one week to more than one month] to mature. For more immediate satisfaction, several quality brands of limoncello are sold in the Capital Region, including Limoncello di Capri, Caravella and Danny DeVito’s.

Pear Pleasure martini

2 ounces Grey Goose La Poire vodka

1 ounce limoncello

1 ounce apple juice

Splash of soda water

Combine ingredients in martini shaker; shake until cold; serve in martini glass over wedge of sliced pear

Limoncello Cosmopolitan

2 ounces vodka

2 ounces cranberry juice

1 1/2 ounces limoncello

Splash of fresh-squeezed lime

Combine first three ingredients in martini shaker; shake until cold; serve in martini glass; squeeze juice from lime wedge; serve over wedge of sliced lemon