Remember the scene in Under the Tuscan Sun after Marcello has whisked Diane Lane’s character off to Positano after a run-in in Rome when they are sitting at a long table overlooking the beach. Marcello is explaining how to make limoncello when one of his nieces interrupts to ask her indulgent uncle for another gelato.

That scene put both Positano and limoncello on the map for me, so it seemed only fitting that I tried limoncello while in Positano for the first time. The seaside village went down much easier than the liquor!

Lemons are everywhere on the Amalfi. Branches lean over tall stone walls, dangling fat fruit above narrow passageways. Lone trees stand at the edges of vineyards and on restaurant terraces, adding a pop of color to the otherwise lush landscape. 

It’s lemons that decorate the ceramic tile street signs, pointing this way to Ravello or that way to Amalfi. Food stalls, parked in the curve of lookout points along the cliffside road into Positano, are filled with them. As are the gift shops that feature lemon-scented soaps – shaped like lemons – lemon candies, lemon- patterned plates and aprons and all kinds of lemon souvenirs, including little bottles of limoncello.

And as visitor here you must give it a shot, which usually means taking a shot. When Lila and I tried limoncello, we winced, our chins dipped down and our eyebrows rose up as we felt the fire, first in our mouths, then in our throats and finally in our bellies. We decided not to buy a bottle.

But I couldn’t resist trying it once more while at Franco’s Bar, the swanky open-air rooftop bar at Le Sireneuse, one of Positano’s most famous hotels. It was served as a spritz and the prosecco tempered the liquor, making for a quite enjoyable aperitivo. All you need to make it at home is limoncello and prosecco.

Limoncello Spritz

3/4 ounce limoncello
Prosecco

Fill you glass with limoncello, top with prosecco, give it a quick swirl and sip.