Restaurants

Limoncello & Other Rosoli

The typical liqueur of the region, limoncello, is the most famous of the sweet liqueurs made in the area from fruits and herbs -- known as rosoli. The rarest are Finocchietto, made with wild fennel; Lauro, made with bay leaves; Mirto, made with myrtle; Nocello, made with walnuts; the rare Nanassino, made with prickly pears; and Fragolino, an extremely rare rosolio made with fragoline di bosco, the wild mini-strawberries from Monti Alburni.

Limoncello is probably the most versatile rosolio. You will find local versions -- and endless claims of paternity -- from Vico Equense on the Sorrento Peninsula all the way to Vietri and beyond, to the islands of Ischia, Capri, and Procida. The liqueur's actual origin is probably the area of Maiori, Amalfi, and Vietri -- although Sorrento has good foundations for its claim.

The fact remains that almost every family in Campania has its own recipe, passed on for centuries. The real version is made with Amalfi's special lemon -- called sfusato di Amalfi, a particular lemon that has obtained the mark D.O.P. (the stamp of controlled origin for produce, similar to D.O.C. for wine). The Amalfi lemon is large, long, and light in color, with a sweet and very flavorful aroma and taste, almost no seeds, and a very thick skin.

Limoncello is sold in pretty, hard-to-resist bottles. If you plan to buy a few bottles as a gift, don't forget to give the recipient tips on how to use it. Always served very cold, the drink can be sipped as a digestive after a meal. It also makes an excellent lemon-flavored long drink -- dilute with tonic water or seltzer. Some like it as a champagne cocktail (add a small quantity to a glass of champagne or prosecco). Another great variation is granita -- dilute the limoncello with a light syrup made of sugar and water, and freeze the result, stirring occasionally.

You can buy these liqueurs from various specialty stores, the most reputed of which is Limunciel, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 9; Minori (tel. 089-877393). This shop was also among the first to commercialize the local rosolio and you will find more rare liqueurs such as the exotic mandarino (mandarin) and fragoline di bosco (wild strawberry), which they prepare in small traditional batches according to their generations-old recipe.