Behind the Scenes: Making Limoncello at Hopeland in Brooklyn

[Photographs: Andrew Strenio]

Downstairs in the basement of Hopeland, an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn that opened earlier this year, co-owner Roy Marino has set up his own little limoncello cellar. "Ours is pretty old-school traditional," Marino said of his family's multi-generational recipe. There's always a batch of it aging down there, especially given how many people are ordering it upstairs.

We were so fond of the sweet-citrusy-boozy lemon liqueur—especially after a hearty plate of Hopeland's short rib ragu cavatelli—that we asked Marino to show us how it's made (short answer: lots of Everclear and some time).

Watch the process from start to finish in the slideshow!

Hopeland

320 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (map) 718-467-3526 ; foodinknyc.com

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