Between 1880 and 1914 more than four million Italians emigrated to the US from the southern rural regions of Italy, seeking wealth and opportunity after an extended period of heavy taxes which had left much of the country financially poor. Fast forward to 2021 and it was estimated nearly 18 million people living in the US claimed Italian heritage. During the intervening time some American adaptations of Italian culture have evolved, such as the Chicago deep-dish pizza, meatball subs and biscotti. However, on the drinks side, a classic Italian liqueur is undergoing a similar voyage to that of its ancestors more than 100 years ago.
Limoncello, which has a disputed history, likely dates back to pretty much the same time as the mass migration to the US. The liqueur in Italy is traditionally made from IGP Sorrento lemons and has become a popular digestif across Europe and the US over the past century. However, in California, where the climate is not dissimilar to southern Italy, several varieties of lemon are thriving – in particular the Eureka lemon which is today being used by craft distilleries to make their own versions of limoncello.
Developed in Los Angeles in 1858, Eureka lemons are thought to have been introduced by the Italians and, while the American lemons donʼt have quite the same bulging mass of the Sorrento kind, theyʼre making some interesting liqueur.
In 2007 Hollywood actor Danny DeVito launched his own limoncello. DeVito didnʼt have the same impact on limoncello in the US as George Clooney did with tequila, but the liqueur was made in Italy using Sorrento lemons and engaged with US consumers. Matteo Luxardo, family member of one of the oldest Italian limoncello producers, believes the style of modern American and Italian limoncellos are worlds apart.
“One of the first limoncellos produced for the US was Danny DeVitoʼs – now there are many produced in California with nice Italian names, but I donʼt think there is a big threat from them in terms of sales,” says Luxardo.
“Limoncello has been produced in Italy since the beginning of the 1900s and Luxardo has been making it since 1905, so we know what we are doing. The younger consumer understands the difference between a US limoncello and an Italian one because they are travelling between the two countries more and more and they try the real stuff and understand the quality. Our limoncello does not contain only the skins of the lemons but also pulp and juice, giving our product a nice and refreshing finish. I think that the US limoncello is made for US people, it is much sweeter than the Italian ones, suitable for American palates.”
Style cues
When a Luxardo family member talks about limoncello and heritage itʼs difficult to argue, and Ventura Spirits in California is similarly aligned with this traditional Italian style. Th e distillery makes a range of interesting spirits, from amaro to pear brandy, and itʼs been making a limoncello for the past six years. Co-founder Henry Tarmy joined Drinks International to discuss the modern movement.
“Weʼre certainly not the first to make a limoncello over here – thereʼs a long list – but we make one of the most interesting. The category is evolving. The main reference point for limoncello in the US is still Italian brands, which is probably how it should be, but we sit in a huge lemon-producing region along the central coast of California so itʼs the natural thing to do here.
“We use an organic wheat spirit for our base, which we buy in because the texture is soft and it acts as a perfect canvas for the limoncello. We only use about 70% of the sugar you would expect to find in a more traditional bottle because we like it to be less viscous.
“One of our biggest differences is that we use the whole lemon in our production. Once the lemon is zested we take the juice from the fruit, as well as the spent zest, and we distil it. Of course, thereʼs no fermentation involved so itʼs essentially lemon water, which we then use for dilution to really add to the overall flavour.”
Other Californian producers are using a variety of base spirits and sugar levels to make their limoncello, which isnʼt proving popular with traditional Italian brands. Nicola Bini, commercial director at Molinari Italia, which makes Limoncello di Capri, says: “There is a positive aspect in observing that the US industry sees the potential of the limoncello category, but we think this is a severe misleading factor for the US consumers and could lead to a devaluation of the category.
“The world is full of me-too products, but the original always offers the best consumer experience. Limoncello is an Italian cultural heritage, it is part of our way of living, and it canʼt just be copied-and pasted.
“The unique, hand-made production method and the full control of the production off ers a product of superior quality that canʼt be easily replicated. Premium limoncello like Limoncello di Capri uses only IGP lemons from the Sorrento and Capri region, which are world-known for their unique physical and organoleptic characteristics and grow in a unique microclimate like the gulf of Sorrento.”
While Limoncello di Capri clearly cherishes its heritage, itʼs simultaneously pushing innovation. Earlier this year the brand launched a cream liqueur which uses the same IGP lemons in production, but may open up the category to a wider audience.
Nick Gillett, managing director of UK-based Mangrove Global, distributor of Limoncello di Capri, says: “The British love affair with Italian liqueurs is well-documented. And with Limoncello rivalling aperitifs as the ʻspritzʼ spirit of choice this year, Iʼm quite sure the appetite for a smooth, creamy variety will be off the charts.”
The Spritz is a serve which was mentioned by every brand interviewed for this feature. Venturaʼs Tarmy says thereʼs a big movement in California towards the Spritz for his limoncello and Luxardo is using the cocktail as one of its major growth strategies for both the on-trade and at-home consumption given the simple nature of the drink.
Had it not been for the outbreak of the First World War, many more Italians would have flocked to the US beyond 1914. Perhaps an Americanised limoncello would have developed over the subsequent years like its cuisine, taking a more significant market share. Nevertheless, weʼre seeing a new wave of limoncello being made with Californian lemons in an American style, and, given the ongoing popularity of deep dish pizza, this could be the beginning of another successful US-Italian crossbreed.
