03/10/2003 - Num. 20 2003

The toast of capri

From the latest fashion to an established tradition. What is the secret of limoncello ’s success?

Other versions: It

by Luciano Pignataro

We have no idea of the name of the common mortal chosen by Zeus to receive the secret of limoncello (lemon liqueur), the most important gift from the lord of Olympus after fire. But we do know where it was given: Terre delle Sirene – the land of Ulysses’ Sirens. What would these beaches and reefs have been without lemons? And what would tables have ever been without limoncello? So, its origins are mysterious and the theories many, as always. Here are two or three, just for the fun of it. Some recall the peasants’ and fishermen’s custom of drinking a little lemon liqueur in the morning to ward off the cold. Others speak of diligent monks intent on preserving the pleasures of life between one prayer and another, when the roads were hazardous and the seas populated with plundering Saracens. Along with the sweets, preserves and all the other tasty treats that circulated during the Dark Ages, different varieties of brews, made from strawberries, myrtle, tangerines, Sorrento walnuts – and lemons – were commonly produced in the monasteries nestling between the rocks and the sea. The Carthusian monks banished the Sirens from their lands, but immortalized their healthier customs – like drinking limoncello. Be that as it may, homes always made sure a few bottles of fragolino, nocilloand limoncello were hidden away in their cupboards. When Capri started constructing its modern fairy tale at the dawn of the society of the masses, Ignazio and Arturo Cerio, Fersen, Munthe, Krupp and others amongst the idle rich and famous habitually drank the limoncellomade by Vincenza Canale who ran the Mariantonia pension. What is the secret of its recent success? Which is very very recent indeed. Don’t forget that, even in Terre delle Sirene, a meal was usually rounded off with a sambucaor bitters. Then, during the Eighties, the wicked grappa, capable of masking the smell of the sea and blocking out the Mediterranean sun, trounced its competitors thanks to the idea of distilling single varieties of grapes and transforming the bottles into tiny works of art. And that was how the fiery peasant brew of the North conquered coveted, elegant southern tables. So how did limoncello’s success come about? What is the secret? Simple, the refrigerator. Try drinking a red wine cold, or a white wine at room temperature, then taste it at its proper temperature and you’ll see how the bouquet and taste of the wine changes completely. Not much more than ten years ago, someone—we are not sure who, but we have reasonably good grounds for suspicion—thrust a bottle of lemon liqueur in his restaurant refrigerator and served it at the end of the meal. It was an immediate success, because one sip conjures up the most beautiful region in the world. In a word, a few degrees transformed lemon liqueur into limoncello: at a low temperature, the sweetness is swathed by the cold that heightens its typical, and unique, citrus flavour. There was no aggressive, urbane marketing campaign, just word of mouth that started at the beginning of the Nineties. From Capri to Costiera, the fashion soon reached Milan where they called it limoncino. Then, it made its way down to Rome ( er limoncello) and finally even Naples after the G8 Summit, when bars in the centre proudly started displaying the cheery bottles filled with liquid yellow gold. At long last, Italy is united in its after-dinner drink: whisky has been sent back to the discos, bitters to the monastery and grappahas withdrawn to the North, and all are now in the minority. First it was a fad, then it was a fashion, and now it’s a solid tradition that not even its numerous contenders can oust: no other liqueur made with a simple infusion is able to gratify taste buds the world over. Peter Arnett is quoted as saying that limoncellowas the first Italian word he learned. The first measure of success is imitation, and like buffalo’s-milk mozzarella, the food industry launched limoncelloon the market, encouraged by the total absence of regulations. But limoncelloreceived its final consecration in 2000, when ISTAT (National Statistics Institute) included it in its basket for calculating monthly cost of living increases. Everyone drinks it, but a connoisseur has no trouble in distinguishing quality, the artisan variety from the industrial – which is true of all products including limoncello. How? Basically, what we are talking about is lemon peel left to steep in alcohol to which a water and sugar syrup is added. In this case, the lemon makes the difference, a secret that can affect one’s health because to make this liqueur – from the lemon peel – you have to be certain of the origin of the citrus fruit, which is all treated with chemical pesticides. And that can only be authenticated by the artisan workshops in the Terre delle Sirene that process the area’s lemons. And that’s not all. The difference also lies in the taste, which depends on the varieties used: Femminiellofrom Massa Lubrense (oval in shape, smooth skin, very juicy) and Sfusatofrom Amalfi (tapered shape, large with a thick, yellow peel and almost no seeds) are the varieties used to produce this liqueur characterized by the intense aroma of essential oils that it inherits from the environment. The unique nature of these fruits depends on the microclimate, the proximity of the sea and protection from the cold winds thanks to the use of traditional pagliarelle(straw matting) covering the groves and held up with chestnut poles. An infinite number of denominations are used on the labels of these cheery bottles, since the original name is a registered trademark from Canale to Capri: nectar or infusion of lemons, limonino, limoncelloand hundreds of others. But the substance doesn’t change when the raw material from Terre delle Sirene is used, and that is guaranteed solely by the Typical Geographical Indication attributed to the varieties found on the Sorrento Peninsula. But how do they make it? The lemons, preferably the tastier fruit from the first blossoming, are picked at dawn when the flavours are more concentrated. They are washed and the peel cut into very thin strips, carefully eliminating the thick white pith below which can give the liqueur an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. The peel is steeped in pure alcohol for between 48 and 78 hours. Then, a water-sugar syrup is added and the mixture is filtered. At the end, limoncello’s alcoholic content, which depends on the proportion of water and sugar, is between 30 and 50 degrees. Finally, when and how do you drink it? The ideal combination is with a Neapolitan pastry, often flavoured with lemon or filled with lemon custard. But a tiny sip on a boat between meals has never done anyone any harm!