Okay, so yesterday I got this crazy idea to try and make my own La Croix Limoncello at home. You know, that bubbly, lemony goodness that’s been all the rage? Well, I figured, how hard could it be? Turns out, not that hard, but it definitely took a little bit of experimenting.
First, I gathered all my stuff. I grabbed a bunch of lemons – like, a whole bag. I also got some sparkling water, the plain, unflavored kind. Oh, and I picked up some sugar, because even though La Croix is all about zero calories, I wanted to see if I could get the taste just right with a little sweetness. And because I wanted that extra somethin somethin, I added some limoncello liqueur to the mix. I know that La Croix does not have alcohol but I wanted to take this to the next level!
I started by zesting the lemons. I used my little zester and went to town on those bad boys. Got a good pile of zest going, and man, my kitchen smelled amazing already.
Then, I juiced the lemons. I have one of those hand-held juicers, the kind you twist? Yeah, it was a bit of a workout, but I managed to squeeze out a decent amount of juice.
Next, I made a simple syrup. I just boiled some water and sugar together until the sugar dissolved. Easy peasy. I let that cool down for a bit.
Now for the fun part! I poured some of the sparkling water into a glass, added a splash of lemon juice, a spoonful of the simple syrup, and a tiny bit of the zest. I added two shots of limoncello liqueur.
I stirred it all up and took a sip. Hmm, not quite there yet. I added another shot of limoncello, I am a heavy drinker sometimes. Then I added a bit more lemon juice, another spoonful of syrup. Tasted again. Better, but still missing something.
I played around with the ratios for a while. More zest, less syrup, different amounts of lemon juice and limoncello. Finally, after what felt like a million tries, I nailed it!
It was bubbly, lemony, and just the right amount of sweet with the kick I wanted. I made another batch but, this time I did not add the simple syrup and used only one shot of limoncello. It was so much lighter, not as strong but just as refreshing. It was close enough to the real La Croix Limoncello, but with a little homemade twist. I poured it into a fancy glass, added a lemon wedge for garnish, and felt pretty darn proud of myself.
My final recipe
- Sparkling water (unflavored)
- Juice of 2-3 lemons
- 1-3 shots of limoncello liqueur
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Simple syrup to taste(optional)
So there you have it, my adventure in making homemade La Croix Limoncello with my own spin. It was a fun little experiment, and I ended up with a delicious drink. If you’re a fan of La Croix, or just like lemony drinks, give it a try! You might surprise yourself.
