When life hands you lemons

<p>During the recent Martini Madness competition in Sonoma, three bartenders showcased a new Wine Country spirit, Limoncello Di Sonoma, made by Fred and Amy Groth of Sonoma. Out of the three mixologists, two went home with a prize.</p><p>That's no surprise to the enterprising couple, who fell in love with the luscious Italian liqueur while travelling along the Amalfi Coast in 1997.</p><p>In southern Italy, the after-dinner digestivo is traditionally served ice cold in a small, chilled glass. Limoncello has a strong lemon flavor but none of the tart bitterness of fresh lemon juice.</p><p>“We liked the taste, and it was such a social thing,” Amy said. “They put the bottle on the table, and suddenly, a one-hour lunch turns into a three-hour experience.”</p><p>For the next 13 years, the couple kept their love affair with Italy alive by making homemade limoncello, a few bottles at a time, in their Colorado home.</p><p>Then, after sitting on the deck of Gloria Ferrer Winery with a glass of champagne during a Wine Country vacation, the couple decided to give their old life a new twist.</p><p>“It was a mid-life awakening,” Fred confessed. “We fell in love with Sonoma, and then we thought, ‘How do we make this work?'”</p><p>A native of Colorado, Fred had been working as an environmental engineer for oil and gas companies. Amy, who grew up in Portland, Ore., was running her own business as a wedding planner.</p><p>Looking for a project that would shake up their lives, the couple decided to move to Sonoma and produce an artisinal limoncello from all-organic ingredients.</p><p>“We wanted to do something similar (to the Italians) but give a California tweak to it,” Amy said. “It's unique and complementary to what's already here.”</p><p>The couple, who are in their early 40s and have two small children, spent about a year getting their company, HelloCello, up and running.</p><p>First, Fred went to Italy for three weeks to bone up on the particulars of limoncello production.</p><p>“I went to (Villa) Massa, a producer that makes one million gallons a year,” he said. “Then I went to small producers, the little boutique stores with family recipes, and ma and pa in back peeling the lemons.”</p><p>In Italy, he also learned how limoncello can be used in the kitchen, from seafood dishes to desserts.</p><p>Back home, he took a hands-on distilling class at Sweetwater Distillers in Petaluma.</p><p>While the couple worked on getting the permits for a distilled spirits plant, they kept looking for a production space near Sonoma.</p><p>They finally found the perfect spot in a warehouse at Schellville and East 8th Street.</p><p>Inside the warehouse, they carved out an office and redecorated with earth-friendly materials, from bamboo walls to the zebra wood bar.</p><p>“This was what we really wanted,” Amy said of the small space. “We want to have it open by appointment.”</p><p>Next, they began sourcing the key ingredients to produce a distinctive limoncello.</p><p>From Marian Farms near Modesto, they found a grape brandy — also known as grappa — that was certified organic.</p><p>“It's 180 proof,” Fred said. “Since it is grape-based, it still has the essence of the grape.”</p><p>They located lemons from an organic orchard near Santa Cruz. Although Italian limoncello is made from Sorrento lemons, HelloCello also uses Eureka lemons, which are similar to the Sorrentos in Italy.</p><p>When they make a batch of limoncello, the couple invites friends over to help them peel lemons — only the yellow peels, not the bitter white piths — then the peels macerate in the alcohol for about 10 days.</p><p>“The alcohol extracts the oil and the color from the skin,” Fred said. “We start with about 50 gallons (of alcohol) and 2,400 lemons.”</p><p>As a sweetener, the couple uses organic agave syrup from Mexico, then adds a dash of organic cane sugar. To regulate the alcohol to the 31 percent level stated on the label, they also add a fresh-tasting water.</p><p>The first batch of Limoncello Di Sonoma — 110 cases — was bottled at the end of September.</p><p>When that supply dwindled in January, the couple invited more friends over to peel lemons, and the process started all over again.</p><p>“It's a fresh-to-market approach,” Fred said.</p><p>“In Italy, they had to stabilize the limoncello because it took two to three years before people were drinking it. Here, when it's gone, that's the time to make more.”</p><p>Not surprisingly, Limoncello di Sonoma has made a splash at Wine Country's renowned bistros and trattorias, from Bouchon and Bottega in Yountville to Santé at the Sonoma Mission Inn and the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma.</p><p>The cheerful bottles, boasting red, retro lettering from Italy and bright, lemon-yellow graphics, were snapped up immediately by Sonoma Market.</p><p>“We described our memories,” Amy said of the label design process. “We want people to look at the label and just feel happy.”</p><p>Limoncello Di Sonoma can be found at Traverso's in Santa Rosa and Dean & DeLuca in Napa, Cask and K & L Wine and Spirits in San Francisco. Whole Foods carries it in four stores (Santa Cruz, Capitola, Sonoma, Napa) as part of a pilot program for high-end spirits.</p><p>Now that the family is ensconced in a Mission-style home on Sonoma's West Side, the couple is embracing their new lifestyle with gusto.</p><p>Riding the artisan cocktail trend, the couple loves to experiment with different concoctions, from a Limoncello Sidebar (limoncello, brandy and lemon) to a Paradiso (limoncello, vodka, orange juice and Campari).</p><p>For Valentine's Day, they came up with the Valentine's Kiss: equal parts Limoncello Di Sonoma and raspberry sorbet.</p><p>Of course, the after-dinner drink is perfectly tasty served straight up, in its “Tradizionale” form.</p><p>All you need to do is pull the bottle out of the freezer, shake it up, and pour out the liquid gold.</p><p>“We wanted to create an experience and a memory for our friends and family,” Amy said. “You can drink it here in Sonoma County ... but it takes you to a different place.”</p><p>The suggested retail price of Limoncello Di Sonoma is $24.99. For more information, go to hellosonoma.com.</p><p>This cocktail, created by Tony Tealdi of the Carneros Bistro, won “most creative” at this year's Martini Madness contest as part of the Sonoma Valley Olive Festival.</p><p>Lemon Merigue Pie</p><p>Makes 1 serving</p><p>1½ ounces Limoncello di Sonoma</p><p>2 ounces Absolut Vanilla Vodka</p><p>1 teaspoon agave (or simple syrup)</p><p>1 lemon, squeezed</p><p>1 meringue cookie (optional garnish)</p><p>Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. Strain into a cold martini glass. Garnish with a meringue cookie.</p><p>This is a twist on a traditional cocktail with an extra lemon kick.</p><p>HelloCello Sidecar</p><p>Makes 1 serving</p><p>1½ ounces Limoncello di Sonoma</p><p>2 ounces brandy</p><p>Squeeze of fresh lemon</p><p>1 teaspoon simple syrup</p><p>Fine sugar for rim</p><p>1 strip lemon, for garnish</p><p>Add all ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass with a sugar rim and garnish with a strip of lemon.</p><p>This is a crisp and refreshing drink that can be made into a punch, to serve a crowd.</p><p>Blue Bello</p><p>Makes 1 serving</p><p>2 ounces Limoncello di Sonoma</p><p>10 blueberries</p><p>— 7 Up</p><p>Muddle the 8 blueberries in a highball glass. Fill glass with ice and add Limoncello di Sonoma. Top with 7 Up.</p><p>Here's a tasty salad highlighting the fruits and veggies of late winter and early spring. You can add goat cheese or feta to the salad.</p><p>Hello Sonoma Salad with Limoncello Dressing</p><p>Makes 6 servings</p><p>For salad:</p><p>1 bulb fennel, with top saved</p><p>1 red onion, peeled</p><p>6 radishes</p><p>1 cucumber</p><p>For dressing:</p><p>2 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar</p><p>6 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil</p><p>1 tablespoon Limoncello di Sonoma</p><p>4 oranges, peeled, segmented, seeds removed</p><p>— Sea salt and ground pepper to taste</p><p>For salad: Remove the tops of the fennel and split at both ends. Split the fennel in half and then slice lengthwise in small, fine pieces. Put into a large bowl.</p><p>Remove both ends of the onion, quarter it, and then slice it into thin slices. Slice the cucumber finely into thin, round slices. Slice the radishes into thin, round slices.</p><p>Add all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Toss with 1 cup of ice to make the veggies crunchy, then remove ice.</p><p>For dressing: Whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil and Limoncello di Sonoma with sea salt and pepper in a small bowl.</p><p>To serve: Dress the salad and then add the oranges. Toss several times. Add some of the fennel tops, chopped, as a garnish to the salad.</p><p>Limoncello di Sonoma Cheesecake Square</p><p>Makes 1 cake</p><p>8 ounces purchased biscotti</p><p>6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted</p><p>3 tablespoons grated lemon zest</p><p>1 (12-ounce) container fresh, whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained</p><p>1 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, at room temperature</p><p>1¼ cups sugar</p><p>½cup of Limoncello di Sonoma</p><p>2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract</p><p>4 large eggs</p><p>Nonstick cooking spray</p><p>Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Break the biscotti into small pieces and grind into fine crumbs in a food processor.</p><p>Add melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of your pan.</p><p>Bake until the crust is lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Then transfer your pan to a cooling rack and let crust cool completely.</p><p>With a clean food processor, blend the ricotta until smooth. Add cream cheese and sugar and blend well. Blend in your Limoncello di Sonoma, vanilla and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon zest. Add the eggs and pulse just until blended.</p><p>Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the smaller pan.</p><p>Bake until the cheesecake is golden but the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cheesecake will firm up as it cools).</p><p>Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and enjoy.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com</p>