I love Caravella Limoncello- I bring it to house warming/summer party- great taste for the summer weather! 

Limoncello is a really refreshing drink (for adults as it does contain alcohol!).  I brought some to a dinner party instead of a bottle of wine and it was a HUGE hit!
At the Caravella site, I discovered that they have Orangecello as well!  Oooh, can't wait to give that a try!

ooohh!  There is an orangecello as well!  Sooo fun! 

These drinks remind me of my trip to Italy sitting at a small cafe in Florence near the river basking in all that is beautifully Italian...

I have been bringing Caravella Limonette to every barbeque this summer and I've been the hit of the party.  The Limonette is so smooth and easy to drink! 

I've made my own homemade limoncello and it's come out fantastic.  A word of warning, it's SUPER strong, and you use quite a bit of lemons for it, but, it'll keep forever in a freezer.  Limoncello goes great with some tonic btw.

1 750ml bottle of Everclear (151 will do if you can't find Everclear)
1 750ml bottle of Vodka -- don't skimp and buy the cheapo brand, but don't waste your money on Grey Goose either.  Some good brands to consider: Skyy, Smirnoff, Rain, Fris
10-15 medium-large oranges (organic if possible)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar

Zest all of the lemons into a bowl while being extra careful to only get the yellow zest and not the white stuff under it.  Any of those white bits and your Limoncello will be BITTER!  Pour Everclear and Vodka into a large sealable container and add zest.  

The reason we use a middle of the road (but decent) vodka is that the cheap stuff is filled with impurities and the age old adage is true -- garbage in, garbage out.  But, the lemons are the star here, so a brand like Grey Goose is just wasting money.  

The reason we'd like to use organic lemons is the use of the peels.  Regular lemons are covered with pesticides, which usually isn't a problem because we're using the juice, but anytime you use the zest, try to go organic.  If you can't find them, or it's too expensive, regular is fine, just wash and scrub nicely before using.

Once you've added the zest to the alcohol, juice one of the lemons.  This step isn't necessary, but it'll add a nice bit of acidity to the final product.  Seal up the container and let sit in your pantry (or other cool, dark place) for about 2 weeks.  At the end of two weeks, make simple syrup out of the sugar and water:

Boil water and add all the sugar until it disolves, let boil for about 5 minutes, take off heat and let cool completely.  If you don't let it cool, your Limoncello will be cloudy.  Once cooled, add water to vodka/everclear/zest mixture, stir well, reseal and let sit again for about another week (letting it sit for longer won't hurt).  After the time's up, you're ready to bottle.  I use a bunch of those resealable pop top bottles that Lorina's Lemonade comes in.  Strain out zest and funnell into bottles.  Enjoy mixed with frozen berries, yogurt, or with tonic.  If you're adventurous, it's shot time, but be careful, if your college experience was anything like mine, you'll know the wonders (and dangers) of Everclear.

Samir, that looks like an amazing recipe but there are some things that seem like an awful lot of work when you can just buy a bottle of great Limoncello.  :-)
Bringing wine or flowers as a gift to a dinner party is great but there are so many other choices including Limoncello (of course!) or even Balsamic Vinegar. 

Hi, I really like this post - nothing like a party starter..and nothing starts a party as well as some refreshing lemonade. I also think the ice cream sandwiches are a classic, an old family favorite that really can be enjoyed all year! (Well at least i like them any time of year ;)
Keep up the nice work.
Cheers, JP
PS. I write about desserts, have a look at my blog if you get a chance, Stories from Sugartown
www.sugartownblog.com

All these fabulous treats can be used through out Fall- when entertaining guest on weekends!

Labor day seems so far away- great to find recipes I can still use year round- and a cocktail for almost every occasion! 

I stumbled upon this post looking for fun ways to host parties.  Thanks for the Limoncello suggestion.  I'll keep this in mind for next year!