• When life gives you lemons...

    In a world where Danny De Vito has his own bottled brand of a Southern Italian liquor, I ask, how did that ever happen for a drink I associate with my uncle's home brew and BBQ parties going bad?

    Danny De Vito, proudly presenting his OWN brand of Limoncello
    Red dots were splattered across the base of an opaque bowl containing the labour of a days work. “Making limoncello shouldn’t look like that!” uttered my uncle. He was right. I had not noticed my finger being sliced, nor the blood stained tablecloth that was under my hand. His mistake was my downfall; an open bottle of limoncello whilst making limoncello. My knife skills were desperately impaired.

    Trying desperately to not laugh or show shock, I poured myself another glass. My uncle shook his head, “that will hurt in the morning” if only he meant just my finger.

    Another digestivo, if any, that has made the transition from local campania produce to national recognition to international export; even Danny De Vito has his own brand of Limoncello.

    There will be those who first taste the Italian southern comfort whilst on holiday, much to the exclamation of “oooff strong”. Over the years, friends and friends of friends have told me of their first limoncello moments, they always feature Sorrento, they are always followed up by tales of waking up with the worse hangover on holiday.

    That’s where limoncello is misunderstood as a drink. It’s not served in pint glasses for a reason. It’s humble beginnings are still argued to this day. Between Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi, each are still fervently convinced someone, somewhere in their town first created it.

    One such noted historical notion is one hundred years in the making. “Maria Antonia Farace religiously looked after her garden of lemons and oranges. After the war, her nephew opened a small deli/bar on the island of Capri, in the region near the villa of noted psychologist Axel Munthe. The speciality of the bar was that of creating varieties of different liqueur from the plants. In 1988, her grandson Massimo Canale started his own artisan production of limoncello, and trademarked the name.”

    Other noted folklores point to fisherman using lemon liqueur to warm themselves on cold winter days to some going as far back to Spanish rule of the Southern territories, however this is widely disputed as most Spanish soldiers were forbidden alcohol in occupied lands.

    Between my uncle’s padlocked freezer (photographic evidence is available upon request) and my tenacious drive to barter down prices in airport duty free’s, I find myself asking, do I have a limoncello problem? Sure, most of the bottles I bring back are for friends, but then comes the summer barbecue and many beers later, I believe the term “mine-sweeping” of limoncello takes over come 11pm.

    My own lemon tree, lemmy, is yet to yield anything close to a crop. It sits, waiting to grow. That's what plants do right, sit, waiting to grow?! It knows it's name is marked for greater things, that its lemons will produce something spectacular, that I could potentially start my own limoncello empire. If only...

    A trip to Naples rarely goes by where I don’t have a glass. A freezer shelf without a bottle is something unheard of. It should never be added to a new age Tiramisu (looking at you Nigella!) and it's not to be drunk from a tray in a mix with several other spirits floating at the bottom...

    If it's good enough for Danny De Vito to build a small empire from, then it's good enough to drink after your Italian meal, just not a pint of the stuff, ok? 

    3 comments → When life gives you lemons...

    1. The next day feeling after too much of that is not good!!

    2. The fact that is laced with so much sugar means that it has a worse effect on your liver! We've all been there Simon, all bee there...

    3. Most importantly else, Scooterpartsco.com is controlled by fans. We are rapid Scooterists who ride for all intents and purposes reliably. Scooterpartsco.com started at the end of the day a Vespa Starter Motor. We run an amazingly clamoring bicycle repair shop and when the adjacent Vespa trader squeezed it in, we started getting most of the Vespa organization. We understand why Vespa parts are so excessive in the US. We give choices in vespa parts, malossi parts, malossi vespa parts, honda forza, honda pcx, yamaha smax, yamaha eminence, suzuki burgman and execution bicycle parts.

    Post a Comment