Gastro Traveling

Devito's Limoncello...It's Worth Hunting Down

Most of us are aware of Danny DeVito’s star power in movies like Twins, Throw Momma From the Train, and Romancing the Stone.  But did you know that DeVito champions his own brand of premium limoncello?

Limoncello has been enjoyed for centuries in Italy. It’s the quintessential aperitif that’s sipped after dinner and often described as “sunshine in a bottle.”  Besides drinking it straight over ice, it makes a great martini, and is heavenly over shaved “shaved ice” as a palate cleanser. It’s traditionally served chilled in small ceramic glasses  It is an increasingly popular ingredient in cocktails because of its strong lemon flavor without the sourness or bitterness of lemon juice.

A devoted limoncello fan since his youth growing up on the Jersey Shore, liqueur, especially fruit spirits were a key ingredient at family gatherings.  It also didn’t hurt that DeVito’s maternal grandfather was born near southern Italy’s Positano before migrating to New Jersey’s Asbury Park.  When DeVito visited Positano himself years later, he was captivated by the aroma of the Sorrento lemon trees along with the fruit’s quality, size, and flavor.

His role as limoncello connoisseur came to a head in 2006 after finishing off a bunch of limoncellos with pal George Clooney by midnight before doing an interview the next morning at 7 a.m. on Fox and Friends and then another at 11 a.m. on the View where he was still visibly buzzed .  It was all uphill from here when the following year, he launched his own brand with much fanfare. 

The secret to perfect limoncello lies in the zest of prized, highly scented Sorrento lemons and their essential oils. DeVito’s limoncello is the only commercial brand available here in the States exclusively made with these lemons and is the only brand awarded an IGP designation, Italy’s prestigious mark of authenticity.