My first memories of limoncello, I expect like most people, are from an Italian holiday, the slender bottles as yellow and radiant as the Amalfi sunshine. And at a local, family-run Italian restaurant, cheerfully slammed down on the table at meal’s end.
The lemon liqueur is now having a new lease of life, born again as an aperitif. The limoncello market grew 31 per cent from 2019 to 2023 and it is popping up everywhere from Australia to Germany. Above all this is down to the advent of the ‘limoncello spritz’, which was even added to the menu at J.D. Wetherspoon last year.
Having enjoyed two decades as top dog, the Aperol spritz finally has some meaningful competition. I’ve always been intrigued by Aperol’s spectacular success, which has its roots in Campari’s purchase of the brand in 2003. They made some savvy marketing moves: swapping the traditional glassware for a large wine glass and replacing the classic olive garnish with a slice of orange. They also started providing the simple 3-2-1 parts recipe on the back label, which Americans appreciated.
But the brand also benefited hugely from wider trends: an explosion in the popularity of prosecco (global sales began outstripping champagne a decade ago), as well as the move to lower alcohol options. Aperol is easy to drink, certainly; orange squash for adults. And, crucially, it’s as sweet as it is bitter (for those who like a properly bitter liqueur, Campari has always been the go-to). Its arrival coincided with the popularisation of aperitivo culture outside of Italy. It feels a bit chic, a little slice of la dolce vita. And – as absurd as it is – in a social media age (and with everyone ostensibly suffering from SAD) even its vibrant colour plays a part in boosting the mood – and one’s Instagram likes.
So can the limoncello spritz spark the same excitement? There are some entrepreneurs who clearly think so. They’re helped by the fact that limoncello differs from Aperol in that it is a type of drink, not a brand. It also does not have a protected designation of origin status, so producers anywhere in the world can call their lemony creations limoncello. Enter the lovely Lakes Limoncello produced near Keswick (using lemons from Sorrento). At £22 it’s still cheaper than an EasyJet flight. Another producer is to be found in Stratford-upon-Avon’s The Shakespeare Distillery. Their version deliberately has more sharpness than usual and so is never tooth-achingly sweet. We should snap it up before it too is clamped down upon as a symbol of white European cultural superiority.
Experiment with substituting limoncello wherever you might usually use St Germain or Cointreau
What else does limoncello have going for it? It packs a good punch. Where Aperol is just 11 per cent ABV, limoncello is usually between 26 per cent and 29 per cent. That also makes it very useful in cocktails. Experiment with substituting it wherever you might usually use St Germain (elderflower) or Cointreau (orange). You can also make a Negroni d’Amalfi (limoncello in place of gin) or even a spiked Arnold Palmer (limoncello combined with cold black tea and a small amount of lemon juice). Eccellente.
It can still be the cheap and cheerful, leave-it-on-the-table-unsupervised sort of drink. While a bottle of the best-selling brand, Pallini, will cost you around £16, Aldi and Lidl often do respectable versions for around £7-8. That’s gratifying for what in my head is still the gift shop liqueur, to be found somewhere near the postcards and fridge magnets. It shouldn’t be a luxury item.
The Aperol spritz isn’t about to disappear. It’s still the eighth most popular cocktail in the world. But its heyday has probably passed. Its price has always been scandalous. In Italy one will cost you €5 or less. Here, bars and restaurants decided it was a cocktail so charge £14. Spritzes should always be cheaper than traditional spirit-based cocktails, both because they contain less alcohol and demand basically no time or skill of the mixologist.
How to make a limoncello spritz
Fill a chilled glass with ice and follow that 3-2-1 formula: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts limoncello and 1 part soda water (or adjust to dial down the sweetness). Give it a little stir, garnish with whatever takes your fancy and there we are. An affordable aperitif that can transport you to a place of sun, sea and sand. Even if you are just sitting in Spoons.
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