One of the most famous digestivi, or after-dinner drinks, in Italy, limoncello is also the pride and joy of Italy’s Campania and Liguria regions. And with reason. If you’ve ever had a sip of this sweet, almost fluorescent-yellow liqueur (perhaps poured for you as a sign of thanks after a dinner in Italy?), you know that it’s not like any other digestivo.

History of limoncello
Digestivi (or “digestifs”), taken at the end of the meal to, ostensibly, soothe the stomach, have a long history. The ancient Romans infused wine with herbs, believing that such a drink had medical, even supernatural, powers; Hippocrates indulged in bitter post-dinner drinks as a way to assist his digestion.