Lemon Capri Cocktail
September 25, 2012 
This little drink is the perfect after dinner treat. We have all this great homemade limoncello that we made and this drink makes use of that, especially if you don't like to drink the limoncello straight. It has only three ingredients - chilled espresso, limoncello and cream and it tastes a little like a milkshake.
you can serve the Lemon Capris in little shot glasses
Since this post involves espresso, I want to take this opportunity to talk about some ways we love to make espresso. I've had a lot of bad espresso made by big fancy machines. I've had terrible espresso after dinner in restaurants. And, of course, I've had terrific espresso in Italy. We used to have one of those espresso makers that was complicated and used ground beans and you had to measure everything out and then clean up the grounds. Brian got sick of it and told me to go out and "buy one of those pod machines we saw at Williams Sonoma". No way could that thing make good espresso, I thought. But I bought it anyway and was floored. It made great espresso and there was no measuring or cleanup. Plus it makes a regular cup of delicious coffee. We absolutley loved it. It was brilliant. It made unbelievable crema. It's a Nespresso maker - we currently have a black CitiZ. They are common in Europe. My opinion on the quality of espresso it makes was validated when I read an article by Colman Andrews (who knows a thing or two about food and drink). He is in love with his Nespresso machine.
our current machine - Nespresso CitiZ with Milk Frother
I admit Brian and I want to take ours when we travel, we miss it so much when we stay elsewhere. What I do take when we travel is this ingenious device called a Handpresso, along with some Illy pods, which makes pretty good espresso together. All you need is hot water. You just pump it up like a bicycle pump and it creates the pressure to make a shot of espresso! They have even put together a whole travel set, complete with hot water thermos and unbreakable little espresso cups! What a great gift that would make for an espresso lover. You can buy just the regular Handpresso with a travel case (which is what we have).
Lemon Capri Cocktail
for a printable recipe, click here
makes 2 drinks
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 2 tablespoons chilled espresso
- 2 tablespoons limoncello, chilled
- lemon peel for garnish
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into shot glasses. Garnish with a lemon peel.
make ahead tip: You can mix up a batch of these ahead of time and refrigerate them in a little pitcher and then pour them into serving glasses when you are ready.
Announcement: I am going to be giving a Pizza Making Class in my home on Sunday, October 21st. Click the "Cooking Classes" tab in my Nav Bar for more information or to sign up to be notified of any cooking classes.
Reader Comments (16)
Hello, My daughter is getting married in October and I'm a non drinker, I was wondering if you could suggest an Italian wine to go with a chicken and beef dish, I'm Italian and I would love to have Italian wine at the wedding. Thank you Monica Rossi from California.
I agree on the Nespresso. I won a Nepresso "Pixie" last year at a Fashions Night Out event at our local Mall. I know other people coveted the designer bags and gift cards other stores were giving away, but I was thrilled when Sur La Table called to say I was the Pixie winner. It might be small but it sure makes a cup of espresso, or lungo , with big, big flavor. I
Trying to wrap my head around Limoncello and Espresso, two flavors I love, but never thought of them together. I am intrigued...
I don't believe in fancy espresso machines. We have one of these old fashioned systems where the water goes into the bottom, freshly ground coffee in the middle and mocha comes out in the top. You fill it, put it on the stove and the coffee tastes delicious. It makes mocha, not espresso, but honestly, I prefer the taste. The only maintenance this machine requires is replacing of the rubber seal once in a while.
By the way, great idea with the limoncello, espresso and cream. I am going to try.
I love this post---the glasses, the limoncello with espresso and cream, and especially that machine!
I have one of those old fashion ones like Kornelia has, it was given to me by an Italian friend. I also have a French press. And my husband bought 2, not one, of those Nespresso Machines. He is too crazy, It is true, this machine makes good crema coffee, and I don't have a lot of washing to do.
On another note, while visiting Singapore, I came across this poster inside a local coffee shop, 'Fuck the French press, we've got the sock'. I took a picture of it, although the owner tried to prevent it. Indeed, the coffee brewed with the sock and sweetened with sweet condensed milk was quite lovely. What can I say?
Faye
I, too, love my Nespresso machine. I have a Citiz upstate and an Essenza in the City. The Essenza is small, and I can take it with me if I travel by car. Nespresso does make a carrying case for it (as, I believe, they do for the Pixie), but I don't own it.
I usually drink Arpeggio, and Walter drinks Indrya, but I am enjoying the new special edition, Crealto and have bought a lot of it since I think it will sell out.
NYC has a number of boutiques, but the nicest one is the one on Madison between Sixty-fifth and Sixty-sixth Streets. It's beautiful, like a jewelry store for coffee!
I always keep Decafinato Intenso on hand so I can make affogato for dessert, even if someone doesn't want caffeine. My morning drink in the summer is three shots of espresso, with a tablespoon and half of heavy cream, over ice.
I love everything about this post....
What is your favourite italian wine? Please visit my blog at http://danstillsblog.wordpress.com/
Looks decadent and rather moreish!! Great post love the hand press coffee maker great travel companion.
Carla
You inspired me to make limoncello, and tonight at our gal's book club meeting, we are having limoncello tiramisu as well as these cocktails. Can't wait. I came back to look at the recipe, and now I'm curious how you get those lemon peels to have the curly-cue effect?
From The Italian Dish:
Maria: I just used a vegetable peeler!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I wanted to serve espresso with the cheesecake at the end of my Easter dinner, but didn't really want to have to pull multiple shots of coffee while the guests were waiting at the table. This was the perfect solution. My husband pulled the shots in the morning, I mixed the drinks and they were ready to serve at the end of the meal. They were a perfect companion for my cheesecake and our guests loved them. One question though: Ours came out much darker than yours.... I used light cream and wondered if you had used heavy cream. Oh, and we also started the meal with one of your recipes - the asparagus napoleons - and they were a big hit, too! I have a huge cookbook library but my first go-to sources are always your blog and my old set of Pleasures of Cooking magazines. Looking forward to your next post!
From The Italian Dish:
Kit: Thanks for the kind words about my blog. Yes, I used heavy cream in this recipe. That might be why mine were lighter. So glad you enjoyed these - they are a nice little treat after dinner!
What a wonderful treat to make, easy to prepare before hand,providing you have the limoncello and perfect if you have a nespresso, which I do. Thank you! I don't have the citiz with milk frother, I went for the pixie , it took less bench space in my kitchen. I have more to say on my blog about about Citiz vs Pixie Thanks for sharing this taste sensation.
I made these for my birthday celebration and they got mega raves. I’m going to make them again for a party tonight. It’s wonderful to have a big batch of limoncello in the freezer (your recipe).
From The Italian Dish:
Karen: Thank you so much and I'm so glad you like the recipe!