Aside from choosing a great bottle to contain your limoncello, the most common way that people customize the appearance of their homemade liqueur is by adding a DIY limoncello label. Custom labels are pretty easy to make and they set your limoncello apart visually. I've been creating and giving limoncello as a gift for over a decade, so I have some tips on how you can make your limoncello look like a pro made it.
Where Can I Buy Limoncello Labels?
Limoncello labels are just regular sticker labels that happen to adorn a bottle of limoncello, so finding them online is easy. You can get blank labels on Amazon, but most people will be better served by a custom printer like Evermine that specializes in custom label printing for weddings and other events.
Limoncello labels are often re-purposed wine bottle labels, but that doesn't fit every use case. People use a variety of bottle sizes for limoncello and often you don't want to gift a bottle large enough to use a wine label (750ml). So while labels are pretty straightforward there are a few considerations and pitfalls to avoid.
We'll address those factors below and show examples of different limoncello label options, some from Amazon and some from other sources, so you can visualize the different options available to you. If you buy through the links below the vendors love that and I even get a small commission (woohoo!) to continue my limoncello-related shenanigans.
Should I Use a Blank Label?
People are more savvy with graphic design than they used to be. Not that many years ago you had to be a wizard to make a graphic look halfway decent. With the advent of Canva and other tools that make design way easier, a lot of folks prefer the DIY method. If that's your bag, then some blank labels might be just the ticket for you. It's definitely the cheapest path.
Getting the right size label is the main consideration if you're going to do it yourself. Amazon now has blank labels for wine bottles and for beer bottles, which cover you just fine if you're giving away full-size (750ml) bottles or half bottles (375ml) of limoncello, respectively. A limoncello bottle label template isn't really a thing, you'll have to choose from what's available.
If you are gifting smaller flasks (100-250ml) or nip-sized bottles (less than 100ml), you'll probably have to look around at office supply stores to find appropriately sized labels.
Blank labels have a couple of drawbacks of course. One is that you'll have fewer shape options in the labels, especially the ones for smaller bottles that will tend to be just square or rectangular. The bigger drawback is getting your printer to line up properly when you go to print them. It's possible (Ed. - "highly probable") that I'm a big dummy in this area, but every time I try this it turns into a storm of curse words—sometimes ending in something like that famous printer scene from Office Space.
Personally, I'm a sucker for splashing out on the appearance of my limoncello anyway. I like to find cool bottles and pimp them out with super custom labels and other signature touches. If you're giving away limoncello for your wedding or another big event, I think that's the way to go. It's just more fun and shows that you care about your limoncello. Caring about your new spouse is nice and all, but caring about your limoncello is really what's important in life, right?
If you're going the full custom route, you'll need a custom printing service like Evermine. They have labels for just about any purpose and not just the square ones either. There are circles, diamonds, scalloped edges and even hearts for the soon-to-be newlyweds.
Best of all, I don't have to think up the designs! I'm not good at making things look attractive, even with the help of tools like Canva. I just don't have an eye for it. I know a good design when I see one, but until then it's just a bunch of brain fog. So I'm willing to pay more for labels I didn't have to design myself. The only downside to this is that it costs more than a DIY solution.
If you really want to take your limoncello to the next level (who wouldn't?) then you can further adorn the bottle after you've applied your sweet custom labels. The ways you can do this are limited only by your imagination. The most common route is to tie something around the neck of the bottle. It doesn't just have to be a tag, you can use decorative string, small branches, a set of instructions for properly enjoying limoncello, anything really.
Here's a Pinterest board I made for Limoncello wedding favor labels and customized bottles.
The customization doesn't have to end there either. If your bottle is clear, you can print a label that is visible through the bottle so that you're looking at a scene on the other side. You can also put something interesting inside the bottle, in the liqueur itself. Be careful with this as you don't want anything that will adversely affect the flavor, but inert objects would work and an attractive spiral of lemon zest could be the equivalent of a worm in a bottle of tequila—although way, way less disgusting. Let your imagination run wild—and for crying out loud, send me pics to post on this site!