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Makin' it with Maren: Mixology Made Easy. A Cocktail Blog.

Valentine's Day Gift: Amaretto Limoncello for your Fellow.


By: Maren Swanson • January 23rd, 2015
Amaretto Limoncello for your Fellow. #ValentinesDay #limoncello #recipe #vodka @lovehappyhour

Generally speaking, Valentine’s Day usually focuses on the woman, but for me, I make it a point to get my guy a little something on February 14th, too. I mean it’s a day about love, right? But what do you get for a man on Valentine’s Day?! Last year, I pulled a Bachelorette move and entered our front door with a long-stemmed rose and asked, “Will you accept this rose?” A bit cheesy perhaps, yes, but boy did he get a kick out of it!


This year I was determined to switch it up a bit, so I tried to brainstorm some good guy gift ideas. Obviously roses and chocolates were out, cologne was too obvious and straight up booze what just too predictable…unless it had a homemade touch? Yes, got it! My apartment complex had a lemon tree in the courtyard that was bountiful with fruit and ready for picking, so I decided to make Limoncello. Most of the recipes I looked up online mentioned that I should start my Limoncello making process over a month in advance, but I also discovered one recipe that required only a week. Traditional Limoncello sounded great, but my creativity got the best of me and tried an experiment: Amaretto Limoncello.

Amaretto Limoncello for your Fellow. #ValentinesDay #limoncello #recipe #vodka @lovehappyhour

I had a fairly large bottle of Ciroc Amaretto vodka in my bar and I had recently purchased some mini air-tight glass containers, so I figured I would try making a larger batch of the traditional Limoncello and let it sit for a month and I would test out a mini batch of the Amaretto Limoncello in the mini container to see if the flavor would be good without wasting an entire bottle. After two weeks of waiting, I pried open the jar and tasted my experiment. The result? Total success! The Amaretto and the lemon pair-up created a nice complement to each other and it also smelled totally sexy! My new made up word: SCENTUAL.

Did you also know that the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie comes out on February 14th? Look, all I’m saying is get a move on making your Amaretto Limoncello for your Fellow now and on Valentine’s Day you’ll have one homemade do-it-yourself gift that is sensual and thoughtful – and it only requires two ingredients! Make this Amaretto Limoncello in small or large batches and dress it up with some ribbon, lace or yarn to make even more of an impression. If you really want to turn the heat up, then I suggest serving this Limoncello surprise for an after dinner drink. I guarantee you’ll get one big smile! Happy Valentine’s Day!


Amaretto Limoncello

Amaretto Limoncello for your Fellow. #ValentinesDay #limoncello #recipe #vodka @lovehappyhour
(makes 1 jar's worth)

Ingredients:

  • 1 large or 2 small lemons
  • Ciroc Amaretto Vodka
  • 3 oz glass jar with canister locking lid

    Directions:

    Rinse and peel your lemon(s) with a vegetable peeler (try to make longer peels). Don't apply too much pressure when peeling, you want to avoid peeling too much of the white or pith part. Place your peels in your Small Glass Jars with Locking Cannister Style Lids and fill to the top with Ciroc Amaretto Vodka. Next, secure the top and let the lemon peels steep in the vodka for 1-2 weeks. You can steep the vodka for longer, but a week minimum is necessary to successfully blend the lemon peel and vodka flavors together. Serve chilled. Enjoy!


    Valentine's Day Gift Idea.


    Follow me on Twitter: @MarenSwanson for more mixology tips!

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