Everyone knows limoncello, but on the Coast we discovered that it has a softer, silkier cousin. It is called crema di limone (lemon cream), or more familiarly cremoncello, and every time we taste it, it feels like a dessert you can drink. Here is what it is and how it is made.
What cremoncello is
It is a rosolio of a milky white colour with a creamy texture, and an alcohol content of around 30 degrees. Unlike limoncello, which is clear and yellow, here milk and cream produce a thick, pale liquid in which the scent of the peel stays at the forefront, but with a rounder sweetness.
The Campania Region has included it among its traditional agri-food products (PAT) in the liqueurs category, under the name liquore crema di limone. It is not a DOP or IGP: it is a preparation recognised as part of the regional tradition.
A recipe born at home
The area of origin indicated in the regional listing is the Amalfi Peninsula, in the province of Salerno. We like the fact that it is above all a homemade liqueur: for generations it was made within the family, and only a few small artisan producers make it for sale today following the original recipe.
The base is lemon peel, and on the Coast the lemon is the one grown on terraces overlooking the sea, protected as Limone Costa d'Amalfi IGP. Using only the yellow part of the zest, without the bitter white pith, is the secret every family hands down.
How it is made
The process described by the Region has a few precise stages:
- the peels are left to steep in alcohol;
- a syrup of water and sugar is added;
- boiled milk with sugar, left to cool, is mixed in;
- finally unwhipped cream flavoured with vanillin is added.
After mixing well, the liqueur is bottled and kept in the freezer for about two months before drinking. That is why we recommend always serving it ice-cold, in small glasses: the cold brings out the aroma and tones down the sweetness.
When to drink it
We find it perfect after a meal, alongside a lemon dessert such as Sospiri al limone, or with a custard ice cream. It is a liqueur to sip slowly, chatting at the table.
Where to taste it and what is nearby
Look for it in the towns of the Coast: Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Tramonti. Between tastings, we suggest a stop at Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. To discover the area's other liqueurs, read our guides to Liquore Concerto and Cioccolato al limoncello; for a full overview of the protected products there is our guide to Campania's DOP and IGP products, and for the province Salerno and its surroundings.
Sources: Campania Region, PAT entry “Liquore crema di limone”; Campania Region, PAT list of drinks and liqueurs.
Top photo (Amalfi): No machine-readable author provided. Sudodana2048 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.