This refreshing and light lemon cocktail is made with just 3 ingredients and is absolutely perfect for this summer! Limoncello is the star, and it adds such a great bold flavor.
This is one of my Drink recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I know that I already shared a lemon recipe with you all a couple of days ago, but I’m back with another one! I just couldn’t help it… I’m in a citrusy mood!
This is a super easy drink to make (3 ingredients!), and has a beautiful punch of flavor.
This cocktail recipe’s central star is limoncello, a fantastic lemon liqueur. If you’ve never had it, it tastes like a sweet lemonhead candy.
Stay tuned, because over the next few months I’m hoping to have a homemade limoncello recipe here on the site, but for now (and to keep this recipe easy), store-bought works great.
There are plenty of ways to change this recipe up if you’d like, and I’ve included a large batch version in the “chef tips” right below the recipe instructions, in case you’re having a party and/or don’t want to make just 1 cocktail at a time.
How to make a limoncello cocktail?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Make sure there’s ice in the shaker, as this cocktail is definitely best when served cold.
- Shake and serve. Shake vigorously, then pour into serving glass.
Helpful Tip!
Garnishes are always optional, but with drinks they add such a fun and bar/restaurant-style look.
Variations of this recipe
- Vodka – instead of white/silver rum, feel free to use your favorite vodka.
- Sweeter – limoncello is sweet, which is why there’s no additional sweetener added to this cocktail. However, if you’d like it a bit sweeter, add some simple syrup.
- Homemade limoncello – if you have homemade limoncello, by all means, feel free to use it.
- Orange liqueur – to add another fun dimension to this cocktail, try adding about 1/2 fl oz of orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Triple Sec).
- Sugared rim – I love to add fun little flairs to simple recipes like this, and a lemon sugar rim is a great addition! Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the zest of a lemon to a food processor and pulse until fine and combined (or just stir the sugar and zest together for a grainier rim). Rum a lemon wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into the lemon sugar.
FAQ’s
They have similar flavors, but aren’t the same drink. A lemon drop is a version of a martini that’s made with vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. This limoncello cocktail uses rum, limoncello (as the sweetener + flavor), and lemon juice.
Limoncello is a lemon liqueur that’s produced in southern Italy, and is made from lemon zest, alcohol, and simple syrup. It’s bright yellow in color, with a slightly cloudy appearance, and has a bold tart and sweet flavor. It’s typically served chilled, as a sipping liqueur.
Making cocktails ahead of time
If you’d like, feel free to make this drink up to 24 hours ahead of time!
Just keep it covered in a pitcher or jar in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, add it to a cocktail shaker with some ice and give it a good shaking.
Pour over ice in the serving glasses, top with garnishes, then serve.
Storage
Any leftover cocktails should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within 1-2 days.
More Summer Recipes:
My Favorite Cocktail Shaker!
This shaker comes with a jigger and mixing spoon, and is a large 24 oz size! Plus, it’s a pretty inexpensive set which has held up well over the years.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Drink
- 2 fl oz Limoncello (lemon liqueur)
- 1 fl oz silver rum (may also be called white or light rum, vodka can be substituted)
- 1 fl oz lemon juice freshly squeezed tastes best
Garnishes
- ice cubes
- lemon slices
- sprigs of fresh mint
Instructions
Make drink
- To a cocktail shaker, add ice, limoncello, rum, and lemon juice. Cover and shake well, for about 10 seconds.
Serve
- Add a few cubes of ice to a small glass (we like to use coupe glasses, but any 4-5 oz glass will work), and add a lemon slice.
- Pour in the cocktail, and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- This recipe makes one 4 oz cocktail, although it is easily scaled up to make multiple drinks.
- For an extra frosty effect, freeze the cocktail glass before filling and serving.
- Instead of normal ice cubes, feel free to freeze some extra fresh lemon juice in ice cube trays and use those. That way as the “ice” melts, your drink doesn’t get watered down.
Large Batch:
- This recipe is super easy to scale up, just figure out how many drinks you’ll want, and multiply the ingredient amounts by that number. So for example, if you wanted 8 drinks, you’d need 16 fl oz limoncello, 8 fl oz rum, and 8 fl oz lemon juice.
- For a party, you may not want to use the cocktail shaker for each drink (since that takes some time). So you can add the limoncello, rum, and lemon juice to a large pitcher. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for several hours (until chilled).
- Or if you’d still like to use the cocktail shaker (it does make a great presentation!), still have everything in the pitcher, but pour some from the pitcher into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake up the individual drinks.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Allyson Zea says
This cocktail was perfect and super refreshing!
Sandra says
I really enjoyed this drink!! So gorgeous and tastes amazing!
Erin says
Looks absolutely fantastic! Can’t wait to try this one!
Beth says
That looks so good! This is the perfect drink for relaxing by our pool.