No need to head to the Amalfi Coast to see how limoncello is created. Just a little more than a year after launching, D.C.’s own producer of the liqueur, Don Ciccio & Figli, is opening up its distillery for tours and tastings.
Every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., beginning May 24, guests will be able to stop in the 2,000-square-foot tasting room at 6031 Kansas Ave. NW. Tastings with half-ounce pours of six liqueur flavors—including limoncello, mandarin, prickly pear, and fennel—will be available for only $5 per person. Founder Francesco Amodeo will also give tours and explain how his products are made, his family’s history of liqueur making in Italy, and how he came into the business. Amodeo, who’s created cocktail menus for places like Lupo Verde and previously Bibiana, will also provide guests with cocktail recipes using his spirits.
Bottles of featured liqueurs will be available on site for $24 each, or $30 for the Concerto (made with barley and espresso). A small shop will sell soon sell ceramic glasses from the Amalfi Coast, where Amodeo is from, and other merchandise. Don Ciccio & Figli currently distributes its products in 10 states (including the District) with two more beginning this summer.
Don Ciccio & Figli, 6031 Kansas Ave. NW; (202) 957-7792; donciccioefigli.com
Photo courtesy Don Ciccio & Figli