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Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

May 15, 2018 by Lois Britton 24 Comments

When a friend gives you a big bag of lemons from their tree, there just aren’t enough lemon recipes. Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur has always been a favorite, so we’ve made several batches, one for me, one for Ed without sugar (it’s burns a lot more), one for my mom’s birthday, one for the lemon grower.

Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

I still have a lot of lemons to use. There may be lemon curd, lemon brine chicken, or lots of lemonade in our future.

As usual, my inspiration comes from our book the Great Book of Tinctures which is in Polish. If you’d like your own copy, it’s usually available on Amazon via my affiliate link. (That means if you buy it via this link, amazon pays me a few cents.)

There are a lot of variations to make this lemon liqueur. Some recipes will use lemon juice. Some will use a higher proof liquor, but I can say that this is delicous and quick and easy to assemble, and ready to drink in just a few days. It makes for great sipping after dinner or can be used in cocktails.

Na zdrowie!

Lois

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Cytrynówka Polish Lemon Liqueur

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
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Description

Homemade Lemon Liqueur in the Polish tradition


Ingredients

Scale

4 lemons

1 liter vodka

sugar, 1/4 – 3/4 cup


Instructions

Wash the lemons and submerge in boiling water (I wish I could explain the benefits of the boiling water, but I’m just following directions)

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemons, add to a large jar or divide among multiple jars

Add vodka and sugar (to taste), and top with a lid

Shake or swirl the mixture occasionally over the next couple of days, until the sugar dissolves

Remove the lemon zest after 24 to 48 hours

Refrigerate and serve chilled


Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PolishHousewife on Instagram and hashtag it #polishhousewife

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Beverage, Polish, Polish Beverages & Liqueurs

Previous Post: « Kremówka Papieska or Papal Cream Cake
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laurel

    May 15, 2018 at 5:19 am

    This is a lot like the Italian limoncello, which I’ve made, except they let the zest soak in the booze for maybe 4 – 6 weeks until a peel will crack like a potato chip when you bend it. I keep some around the house, minus the sugar, for adding to anything I want to make lemon-flavored. A little bit in lemonade is great. It’s hard to remove the yellow part only and not get any white but it’s worth it. This is supposed to a great digestive aid!

    Reply
  2. David

    May 15, 2018 at 5:23 am

    I agree with Laurel – very much like limoncello. I’ve never tried it without sugar – very interesting idea! I wonder if the lemons are boiled to remove bitterness?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      May 15, 2018 at 1:16 pm

      Without sugar, the liquid is still yellow colored but not at all hazy. It seems so much stronger.

      Reply
      • Victoria

        December 11, 2018 at 7:46 am

        use honey instead of sugar! tastes so much better

        Reply
    • Judi

      May 15, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      The lemons aren’t boiled, just placed in boiling water and removed. I believe it has to do with maximizing the lemon oils on the peel.

      Reply
      • Nell

        December 13, 2019 at 6:58 pm

        Sounds like the hot water helps the oils in the lemon peel get released into the alcohol qiucker.

        Reply
        • polishhousewife

          December 14, 2019 at 9:07 am

          Very good thought!

          Reply
  3. Piotr

    June 1, 2018 at 3:13 am

    I’m college student, and sometimes make cytrynówka with friends, but after washing in boiling water we just cut lemons and put them it in the pot with spirytus(95-98% alcohol) and sugar. Next day we just squeeze lemons, pour it through strainer and add water.
    Its 1kg lemons(~4lemons),
    0,5L spirytus,
    1/2 cup of sugar(sometimes more- add to taste) and
    0,5L water.
    Its little cloudy, but when frozen taste great and thanks to lemon juice usually hangover-free 😉
    I don’t know if i read your recipe correctly, but you just put lemon zest not juice? Sounds interesting, must try it sometime.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      June 1, 2018 at 6:14 am

      Yes, just the zest. I’ll have to give your recipe a try too, Piotr if I can find spirytus. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    • Ula

      August 13, 2021 at 7:40 pm

      Sounds great . Can’t wait to try it out! Na zdrowie.

      Reply
  4. Marta

    June 2, 2018 at 2:21 pm

    I think everyone is craving some cytrynowka

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      June 2, 2018 at 5:30 pm

      Na zdrowie

      Reply
  5. Steve Pace

    August 18, 2019 at 3:43 am

    Putting the lemons In boiling water also helps remove the wax covering you sometimes get on commercial lemons.

    Reply
  6. Matthew Taheri

    August 8, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    The boiling removes the food safe wax from the lemon zest. If you don’t boil, you wont get nearly as much flavor from the rind. Could also add the juice of the lemons if you enjoy a very sour sprit juice.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      August 14, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks, Matthew!

      Reply
  7. Olga

    September 18, 2020 at 11:44 am

    I make a heavy syrup and poke holes in a dense poundcake..pour syup and let it sit for about 2 days. Also, if sugar free mix is reduced on low, it makes a great lemon extract.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Sophia Norfolk

    March 27, 2021 at 3:55 pm

    Hi, thanks for the recipe. Can your vodkas be bottled and stored or do they need to be used immediately?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      March 28, 2021 at 8:38 pm

      Hi Sophia, I usually make them once a year, and drink them until the fruit is in season again the following year.

      Reply
  9. Autumn

    April 3, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    The reason you put the lemon in boiling water is to remove the wax coating on the citrus

    Reply
  10. Sweet

    July 2, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    Hi just made your recipe thanks for sharing. I wonder do you need to keep in a dark place for the 24-48 hrs or should they be in the fridge?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      July 4, 2021 at 11:09 am

      You can put it in the fridge, but it’s not necessary, and it might slow down the process.

      Reply
  11. Ann Hopkins

    June 2, 2022 at 6:06 am

    Is there a recipe for this liqueur with oranges?

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      June 13, 2022 at 8:59 pm

      I haven’t published one yet, Ann, but just substitute orange for lemon.

      Reply
  12. Roger

    September 21, 2022 at 7:34 am

    My father in law was Polish and his method used a 50cl bottle of Polmos rectified spirit ( Spirytus Rektyfikowany ) which is 95% proof. The lemon zest was soaked in this for a week (minimum) and then the zest strained off. An equal amount (50cl) of water was then heated gently in a saucepan with the desired amount of sugar until the sugar completely dissolved . When that had then cooled to only just warm the spirit was added and the mixture became clearer. I met his brother once who gave me a glass of his. It was a beautiful colour and crystal clear. Like food, the appearance is just as important as the taste. Sadly both brothers died some years ago so I’ll never know what his method was. If anyone knows I’d love to hear it.

    Reply

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