It’s that time of the year for refreshing cocktails on the porch as the sun goes down. In the summer, I love experimenting with different fruity cocktails to relax and unwind.
This easy limoncello vodka sparkler recipe is one of my new favorite cocktails! It strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart while highlighting one of my favorite summer flavors: fresh lemons.
Whether it’s for happy hour with your friends, date night, or a big summer party, this limoncello cocktail recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser from the very first sip.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients: Have you ever been at a cocktail bar and felt like you don’t recognize half of the ingredients? That won’t happen with this drink! With just a few basic ingredients, you can make this delicious limoncello cocktail.
Refreshing: This is the perfect summer cocktail! It’s icy cold, lemony, and ultra-refreshing. At the end of a long, hot summer day, you’ll love this cocktail to cool off and relax with.
Easy to make: This delightful yellow drink comes together in less than five minutes and doesn’t require any bartending skills. Anyone can enjoy this sweet, bubbly beverage!
What is Limoncello?
Limoncello is a lemon-flavored liqueur from Southern Italy, specifically along the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and the island of Capri. It’s known for its vibrant yellow color and lemony, sweet flavor. Limoncello can be enjoyed chilled on its own or as part of a variety of delicious lemony cocktails. Because it is sweet, you need not add any other sweetener to limoncello cocktails, unless you prefer extra-sweet beverages.
Ingredients
Limoncello: The key ingredient in this vodka sparkler, this Italian lemon liqueur sweetens the drink and gives it an intense lemon flavor.
Vodka: Use whichever brand of vodka is your favorite!
Lemon juice: We add just a little lemon juice to balance the drink and give it some tartness. Use fresh lemon juice if possible, not bottled.
Sparkling water: Club soda makes this drink light and bubbly and gives it the name “sparkler.” Try it with flavored sparkling water if you want to mix it up.
Juicer: This tool is not required, but does make juicing your lemons easier.
Supplies Needed
You don’t need a ton of special equipment to make this cocktail, but there are a few things that will help. Here’s what you should have on hand:
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- Cocktail Shaker: You can also use a jar with a lid if needed, but cocktail shakers work best.
- Jigger: These are little measuring cups made just for bartending. They will help with accurate and easy measurements.
- Cocktail Glass: You need something to serve your beverage in! Highball glasses are more traditional for this type of cocktail, but lowball glasses and mason jars also work well. You’ll want your glass to be 12-16 ounces in volume.
- Vegetable peeler: Peelers help you turn a lemon into a lemon twist garnish more safely and easily. A small paring knife works too.
Variations and Substitutions
Switch up the juice: Instead of (or in addition to) lemon juice, try another citrus juice to give the drink a more complex flavor. I would use freshly squeezed lime juice or orange juice.
Add fresh fruit: Fruity cocktails are the best in the summer! Make this recipe as written but add fresh raspberries or blackberries for an extra fruity twist.
Use your favorite liquor: Instead of vodka, try a different liquor. I think this would be equally delicious with gin, rum, or tequila.
Make it more lemony: Go all-out on the lemon flavor by adding extra lemon juice or some lemon zest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in a large pitcher size?
Yes, feel free to multiply the recipe to make it for more people! If you won’t be drinking the beverage immediately, I recommend leaving the soda water out until the last minute so it doesn’t get flat.
Can I use homemade limoncello?
Absolutely! If you make your own limoncello, this easy cocktail recipe is a great way to use it.
What do you drink limoncello with?
Limoncello is traditionally served straight and chilled in a frosty glass. This sweet, lemony liqueur also tastes delicious in a variety of cocktails, such as this limoncello vodka sparkler!
More Limoncello Recipes You’ll Love
Don’t put away your bottle of limoncello yet! Try these other delicious recipes:
Limoncello Vodka Sparkler Recipe | Refreshing Summer Drink
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces limoncello
1 ½ ounces vodka
6 ounces club soda
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Ice
Lemon slice and lemon twist for garnish
Sugar
Simple syrup to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Make a sugar rim on a tall glass by dipping the rim in lemon juice, then dipping it in a plate of sugar.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, limoncello, lemon juice, and ice. Shake for about 15 seconds, until well-mixed and cold.
- Add a small handful of fresh ice cubes to your glass, then strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into the glass, leaving the old ice in the shaker.
- Top the glass off with soda water and garnish with a slice of lemon or a twist of lemon peel. Give it a quick stir and enjoy.
Notes
For a sweeter cocktail, add a bit of simple syrup to the cocktail shaker before shaking your drink.
