Memories of my Italian holiday dance in my head; how I wish to be back anywhere on that infamous boot--in the Tuscan countryside gazing at all the lovely rolling fields, in Florence shopping my ass off, in Genoa enjoying the best seafood I've probably eaten in my life, in Rome doing as the Romans do, on the Amalfi Coast sitting back with my lover sipping limoncello while taking in the breathtaking views.
OK, so maybe I never sipped limoncello on the Amalfi Coast with my lover. Truth is I went on a 3 week Italian vacation with my family a few years ago, and don't get me wrong...I had a wonderful time and saw and even ate alot of great things. But sometimes when you're travelling with a bunch of old school Chinese people whose idea of good Italian food is pepperoni pizza, you sometimes don't get to live your vacation to its absolute fullest.
So in reality, the first time I really got to try one of my favorite liqueurs was when this girl at work had just come back from her Italian holiday sans parents and had given each one of us a tiny bottle of the stuff as a souvenir. (Probably the only good thing that's ever come from knowing this girl, by the way; she's a bitch. Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. I didn't want to give her too many props.) It was only enough to fill one shot glass, but was nevertheless love at first sip. Chilled, this sunshine-yellow liqueur originating from the lemon producing Amalfi Coast and made by infusing lemon peels in alcohol, is potent liquid lemon love. You can sip this refreshing drink chilled or on the rocks by itself or mix it into a delicious lemony cocktail. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: yummy sugar crystals will form around the neck of the bottle after you open it and keep it in the fridge for awhile...that's why I sometimes take a swig straight out of the bottle that I keep for myself in the fridge. No, I'm not a lush or anything!
You can actually make limoncello yourself if you have the time and patience; I just buy mine, made by Sorrento's Villa Massa, at Trader Joe's for about ten bucks a bottle.
By the way, I was supposed to post this yesterday after I had poured myself a glass to unwind after a long day, but I before I knew it, I was sleeping like a baby!
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2 comments:
I think it was during one of Mario's shows on The Food Network where they showed the making of limoncello. Mmmmmm. It just gave me one more reason to go to Italy (as if I didn't have enough).
You, on the other hand, gave me one more thing to add to this week's Trader Joe's list.
Doran,
I think one of these days I'll try making my own; I'm sure it's great homemade. But the Villa Massa stuff at TJ's certainly does the trick!
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