How Long Does Limoncello Last? (Does It Go Bad?)
Limoncello is one of the most beloved alcoholic beverages in Italy. It is made from a tasty infusion of lemon, sugar, and any neutral alcohol. But can it go bad?
How long does limoncello last? Limoncello can’t go “bad” due to its relatively higher alcohol content, but it can lose its delicate aroma and flavor due to oxidization. This beverage should be refrigerated or stored in the freezer to maximize its freshness and overall quality.
Read below to learn more about limoncello, how it’s made, how it’s stored, and some key best practices to get the most out of its fresh flavor!
Limoncello — The Classic Italian Lemon Liqueur
Limoncello is the second most loved alcoholic beverage in Italy, only second to Campari!
This is a delicious digestif that is typically served after meals. It contains an infusion of lemon zest and sugar, which truly refreshes the senses and the palate.
Limoncello is also enjoyed for its perceived gut benefits. It is thought to engage stomach enzymes and help with the digestive process, especially after a hearty meal.
The great thing about this beverage is that it is very easy to make, often requiring just a combination of 2-3 ingredients per batch.
It uses a neutral alcoholic base (usually vodka) with a high ABV, between 28-32%. The ethanol content helps preserve and protect the beverage from environmental damage — but only temporarily (more on this below).
Another reason why limoncello requires a neutral spirit is so that the beverage can inherit all of the goodness from the lemons, including their taste, color, and (of course) refreshing aroma.
Characteristics Of Limoncello
Before we get into the recipe and storage instructions, let’s blast through Limoncello 101 to cover all its basic characteristics.
Flavor
Limoncello has a vivid lemon flavor that is intensified due to the concentration of lemon zest in the infusion. You get a punchy, citrusy flavor and a pronounced lemony taste that is balanced out by its sugar content.
The sugar and natural lemon flavor provide a smooth and refreshing aftertaste — the sugar content of this beverage is one of the reasons why you don’t get the same tartness that is associated with concentrated lemon drinks!
Every manufacturer has its own approach to making limoncello, and many families have their own recipes, but most try to balance the sourness, bitterness, and zesty flavors of the lemon to create a subtly unique-tasting beverage.
This is mostly why limoncello tastes so varied from one brand to the other!
Color And Texture
Limoncello has a unique, neon-yellow color due to the infusion of garden-fresh lemons.
It has a slightly thick and syrupy mouthfeel that can also be diluted using other ingredients. Diluted limoncello has a smooth texture with a lip-smacking flavor!
Uses
Limoncello can be enjoyed on its own, but it can also be mixed with soda water or other liquid-based ingredients to create a range of delicious beverages.
It is commonly used as an added ingredient to make a variety of delicious, lemon-centric cocktails like the following, plus many more:
- Limoncello Gin Collins
- Bourbon Limoncello Cocktail
- Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail
- Raspberry Limoncello Cocktail
The beverage can also be added with mint leaves to create irresistible and boozy mojitos too!
You can even top it over ice cream or sodas for an intense and delicious lemony finish.
How To Make Homemade Limoncello
It’s pretty easy to make your own limoncello at home — you just need to start with a few basic ingredients and follow a few simple steps.
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium-sized lemons (fresh)
- 8 ½ oz pure grain alcohol (or vodka)
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 ⅕ cups purified water
Instructions
1. Begin by sourcing fresh lemons. We recommend going with organic, garden-fresh lemons for this recipe. Avoid using stored or refrigerated lemons as they might not add the same freshness to the beverage.
2. Clean the lemons thoroughly with a damp cloth and set them aside.
3. Pour alcohol into a jar and then start peeling the lemons. The idea here is to only get the peel off — don’t apply too much force on the peeler or you might scrape off the pith of the lemon, which contains a lot of bitter compounds!
4. Add the lemon peels to the jar with the alcohol. Set it aside in a cool, dry place and let the mixture infuse for about 3-4 days.
5. After 3-4 days, you will notice a sharp change in the color of the alcohol. This would indicate that the spirit has been infused successfully.
6. In a separate jar, combine sugar and room-temperature water. Shake well until all of the sugar has dissolved.
7. Using a sieve, filter the lemon-infused alcohol into the sugar and water mixture. Mix well and set it aside for 5 minutes.
8. Give the mixture a final stir and then use a muslin-cloth-lined filter to pour the finished mixture into an airtight bottle. Voila! You have successfully created homemade limoncello!
Homemade Limoncello
It's pretty easy to make your own Limoncello at home — you just need to start with a few basic ingredients and follow a few simple steps.
Ingredients
- • 3-4 medium-sized lemons (fresh)
- • 8 ½ oz pure grain alcohol (or vodka)
- • 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
- • 3 ⅕ cups purified water
Instructions
- Begin by sourcing fresh lemons. We recommend going with organic, garden-fresh lemons for this recipe. Avoid using stored or refrigerated lemons as they might not add the same freshness to the beverage.
- Clean the lemons thoroughly with a damp cloth and set them aside.
- Pour alcohol into a jar and then start peeling the lemons. The idea here is to only get the peel off — don't apply too much force on the peeler or you might scrape off the pith of the lemon, which contains a lot of bitter compounds!
- Add the lemon peels to the jar with the alcohol. Set it aside in a cool, dry place and let the mixture infuse for about 3-4 days.
- After 3-4 days, you will notice a sharp change in the color of the alcohol. This would indicate that the spirit has been infused successfully.
- In a separate jar, combine sugar and room-temperature water. Shake well until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- Using a sieve, filter the lemon-infused alcohol into the sugar and water mixture. Mix well and set it aside for 5 minutes.
- Give the mixture a final stir and then use a muslin-cloth-lined filter to pour the finished mixture into an airtight bottle. Voila! You have successfully created homemade limoncello!
How To Store Limoncello
Now that you have made limoncello, it’s time to look at how you can maximize its freshness.
As mentioned, limoncello will not go bad in the traditional sense — it won’t grow mold, and it can’t be compromised by bacteria thanks to its high alcohol content.
But as the beverage is exposed to air, the flavoring compounds in the limoncello will slowly start to degrade. This is a normal process called oxidization that can occur in any type of food.
Thankfully, there are a few things that you can do to minimize its effects.
Limoncello is best served cold and, coincidentally, the best way to prolong its shelf life is to store it in a cool and dry place.
On its own, an opened bottle of limoncello should last 2-3 months in the fridge before it starts to show signs of depreciation.
A great way to tell when the limoncello starts to “go bad” is when you notice a drop in its aroma and flavor. Again, this doesn’t mean that the beverage has gone bad! It just indicates an increase in age and a subsequent decrease in quality.
An unopened bottle of limoncello will probably last a year outside of the fridge, but you will need to keep it in a cool and dry place. We like to keep ours in the freezer so it’s always perfectly chilled (more on this below).
Exposing limoncello to sunlight may trigger profound degradation within a matter of days!
Commercial Vs. Homemade Limoncello
Commercial limoncello is similarly made with just a few simple ingredients, but breweries will often also add stabilizers and preservatives to prolong the shelf life of the product.
These particular bottles are designed to last up to 2-3 years if left unopened.
An opened bottle might be able to maintain its freshness for up to a year or more depending on other storage conditions.
Always check the back of the bottle for storage indications and the best-before date.
We don’t recommend that you consume a limoncello product that has passed its expiration date because it won’t deliver on the same great flavor — and may taste bland.
Signs of Spoilage
Here are a few key indicators that can help you figure out the quality of your limoncello.
Aroma
Fresh limoncello will always have a very refreshing and citrusy aroma to it.
Commercial limoncello is prized for its rich and often accentuated aromatic notes thanks to the inclusion of high-quality Italian lemons. But as the beverage ages, it will likely lose its aroma first.
Make it a habit to smell the bottle when you open it to keep its aroma in mind. You should be able to notice a difference after 13-14 weeks.
If this happens, we recommend that you quickly use the limoncello (by using it in cocktails) before it loses all of its original aromatic notes.
Color And Taste
After a reduction in its aroma, the limoncello will then likely start to lose its original flavor notes.
Instead of a refreshingly citrusy flavor, you might start to notice the sweeter notes more. This may happen 3-4 months after opening the bottle, but you may be able to notice this change sooner if you live in a warmer environment.
Probably, the final change that you will notice is the color — the limoncello may go from a neon-yellow to a pale-yellow color.
This change is more common with homemade varieties than with commercial limoncello with stabilizers and preservatives.
Related Questions
Limoncello is a fantastic digestif that can jumpstart the digestive system and give you a pleasant buzz in the process. Now that you know how to make it, as well as how long limoncello can last, here are some related questions.
Can spoiled limoncello make you ill?
Limoncello is a high-ABV alcoholic beverage that is incapable of hosting bacteria or other dangerous organisms.
An otherwise uncontaminated bottle of even “expired” limoncello will not make you sick, but it may give off a largely inferior flavor and aroma.
Can you freeze limoncello?
No. Limoncello contains a high amount of ethanol, which naturally has a low freezing point.
Scientifically speaking, alcohol can freeze, but the temperature required to solidify it is usually unattainable in domestic freezers.
If you mix limoncello with other ingredients or dilute it, then it might freeze since the proportion of ethanol to water will change.
Homemade limoncello (opened) will last about 12 months in the freezer and the commercial variety can last up to 2 years.
