Menton, France is located near the Italian border on the Côte d’Azur. The protected climate of this picturesque town provides a perfect growing environment for citrus trees, including lemons, and particularly the Menton Lemon. The Menton lemon is longer and less round than your average lemon and the skin of the fruit is said to have more fragrant, flavorful oils. This fruit is the primary reason why Menton has been named the Citrus Capital of France. In February, while much of the world is celebrating Carnival, Menton hosts a massive Feté du Citron where the Menton Lemon is the star, and all of the other citrus fruits sing in the chorus.

Now, I don’t have anything against Lemons, I think they are marvelous, but today I want to shed a little light on the lemons greener, less celebrated cousin, the lime.

We’ve all heard of the refreshing digestive lemoncello, right? I like lemoncello, I do, but imagine, lemoncello made with limes? At Aupaysducitron, a beautiful Mentonesque boutique devoted to all things citrus they call it “Liqueur de Citron Vert”. One sip, and I was sold. To me, the lime version is much more interesting and complex than the lemon version of this citrus infusion. It tastes more tangy and less sweet. Now, if you share my love of limes and are suddenly certain you must serve, Liqueur de Citron Vert Limeacello after Christmas dinner; or give beautiful bottles of it to your favorite hosts; or have an abundance on hand for ringing in the New Year; but can’t quite swing a trip to Menton right now, worry not. I have a recipe idea for you below.

But, since it is designed to be a digestive, served after the meal, shouldn’t we take a little stroll around Menton before we get to the recipe? Menton has become one of my favorite towns, it is filled with beautiful architecture, it has a charming pedestrian shopping area and the streets are lined with a variety of citrus trees. This time of year, the trees are loaded with colorful fruit {natures best ornaments}.

Year round, this beautiful covered market house is filled with the best from France and Italy, fresh local produce, olives, olive oils, baked goods, pastas, meats and cheeses. In front of the market place, there is a great rotisserie where you can order custom roasted meats, or pick up a perfectly roasted chicken or rack of ribs drizzled with local honey {our family favorite} for dinner.

On Fridays, I’ve found many fabulous things for ma maison at the brocante {antiques market}, which is held near the market, on the Promenade de Soleil.

 

In addition to the abundance of citrus trees, statuesque palms offer an exotic, whimsical touch the the towns historic architecture.

Now, let’s go back to Au Pays du Citron {the land of the lemon} and that Liqueur de Citron Vert Limeacello. If you do make it to Menton, this shop is well worth a visit, if you like citrus {is there anyone who doesn’t like citrus?}. There is a laboratory inside the store where they make most of the products, all scented or flavored with citrus. They offer soaps, a refreshing citrus based perfume and other body products. They also have an impressive array of food products including a delicious marmalade and these unusual sugar cubes. The sugar cubes are soaking in a lemon liqueur. When you taste them they crumble in your mouth and release a refreshing explosion of pure lemon goodness.

And then there is the limeacello…. built into the dark wood display walls of the store are these freezer drawers housing frosty bottles of their tasty liqueurs.

This presentation definitely influenced my display at the top of post, in addition to “freezing” the liqueur, I put the shot glasses in the bin as well to give them a frosty edge.

Finally, here is a great, easy recipe from Giada de Laurenti for Lemoncello,  just substitute lime peels for the lemon peels to make “Limeacello”, or I wonder what it would taste like if you did equal parts of each and created Lemon~limeacello?? Oh, the possibilities! If you start your infusion right away, you should have some beautiful, tasty bottles to share before Christmas. In the US, Cost Plus Imports and Storables are good sources for pretty jars.

recipe by Giada de Laurenti

 Ingredients