Have you ever tried nocino? If not, you’re in for a treat. Nocino is a traditional Italian digestif made from unripe walnuts. It’s a dark, syrupy liqueur that’s infused with wintery spices.
The ideal way to enjoy this drink is simply to sip on it after a rich meal. However, it’s also a great addition to dark, spirit-forward cocktails like an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan.
This is one of my favorite foraging recipes. If you have an English or black walnut tree near you, then you’re in luck! Just one tree should be enough to collect enough walnuts to make a decent batch of Nocino. Once you know how to identify a walnut tree, you’ll start to notice them more and more. I find that they’re pretty abundant around Portland, where I live.
Why you should make this Nocino
The phrase I always want to use to describe the flavor of Nocino is “winter magic” — dark, sweet, and lightly bitter with a medley of warm spices. It’s the perfect cozy beverage for long, dark winter days.
If you enjoy strong bourbon cocktails, this is a great addition to your liquor cabinet. However, it can also be a helpful tonic for digesting meals. The spices used in Nocino are known as carminatives, a group of plants and herbs that alleviate gas and bloating and aid in digestion.
Collecting the walnuts
The most important part of making Nocino is, of course, collecting the walnuts. For this recipe, we need 30 unripe black or English walnuts. Your first step is to find a good walnut tree. Maybe it’s in a nearby park, or your backyard, or a neighbor’s yard. (If a neighbor lets you harvest from their tree, it’s always nice to bring them a little bottle when it’s ready!)
Now it’s time to harvest the walnuts – they should be unripe, about the size of a small lime, and still on the tree. If they’re falling on the ground, they’re definitely too ripe! Here in Oregon they’re usually ready around mid to late July.
Simply break the nuts off the tree with your fingers. They should snap right off. Bring them home and give them all a good rinse in the sink, then pat them dry.
Next, we’re going to chop them into quarters. This is the toughest part. When black walnuts are perfect for nocino, the shell of the nut isn’t quite developed yet, but it may still be a little bit difficult to cut through. You might want to use gloves and an old cutting board when chopping, as the nuts may stain hands, clothes, and surfaces black.
my top Tip!
How can you tell when walnuts are ready for Nocino? They need to be at that perfect place between ripe and unripe. Here are things to look for:
- Size: Nuts should be about the size of a small lime
- Color: Look for walnuts with a vibrant green color and no signs of pests or disease
- Softness: The nuts need to be sliced fairly easily
A great way to test them is to slice one open when you think they’re getting close. It shouldn’t be too difficult to chop through. You want to get to the walnuts before the shell starts to develop around the meat.
Once the walnuts are all chopped, we’re ready to start layering.
How to make Nocino
Now we’re to the easy part! We’ll add the chopped walnuts into a large glass jar with sugar and spices, cover it with booze, and let it sit for a couple of months. That’s the whole recipe, in a nutshell (sorry).
You can play around with different spices depending on your preferences, but this is what I like to add to my Nocino:
- Whole nutmeg, chopped into chunks
- Lemon peel
- Vanilla beans
- Cinnamon sticks
- Allspice berries
- Star anise
- Whole cloves
- A few coffee beans
Layer the walnuts, lemon peel, spices and sugar in a large clean glass jar. Try to distribute the spices and sugar evenly, layering as you go.
Top with vodka, making sure the walnuts are completely covered but leaving just a little bit of space at the top so you can shake it up effectively. Give the whole thing a nice healthy shake and store in a cool dark place for 6-8 weeks. You’ll want to give it a good shake at least every few days while it’s infusing. You’ll notice it gets darker as time goes on.
Then, we’ll strain the mixture and let it sit for at least another month. The longer it sits, the more the tannins will mellow and smooth.
Variations
It’s best to start with a proven recipe the first time you make Nocino. However, I recommend taking some notes on your first batch so you can change and improve things next year depending on what flavors you like most!
The essential ingredients are unripe walnuts, vanilla bean, lemon peel, and spices. You can pick and choose which spices you’d like to use, and in what quantity. The coffee beans are optional, but I like the extra oomph they give to the final flavor. You could try adding small amounts of other bitter herbs or any other whole spices that strike your fancy.
How to serve Nocino
As a digestif, Nocino is meant to be sipped on its own after dinner, either cold or room temperature. It also makes a great addition to an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, or Boulevardier. You can use a shot of it in place of another similar booze, or you can add a dash or two to a drink like you would with bitters.
My absolute favorite way to enjoy it is served on the rocks with a little bubbly water and a twist of lemon. Divine!
I hope you enjoy this very special drink! Cheers!
Nocino Black Walnut Liqueur
Ingredients
- About 30 unripe Black Walnuts, quartered
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 whole cloves
- 5 allspice berries
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- 1 star anise, broken into pieces
- 1 vanilla bean, chopped into a few pieces
- The peel of 1 lemon
- 1 whole nutmeg, broken up into chunks
- 6 coffee beans
- 1 liter of vodka
Instructions
- Rinse the walnuts and pat dry. Chop into quarters (you might want to wear gloves – they can stain hands and clothes!).
- Have all your spices and sugar ready. Get a large clean glass jar that's big enough to hold all of the walnuts and vodka with at least one inch of space at the top. Layer walnuts, spices, and sugar in the jar. The idea is to distribute all of the ingredients as evenly as possible.
- Once everything is layered in the jar, cover it with vodka, making sure to completely submerge the walnuts. There should be a little bit of space left above the liquid to leave room for shaking.
- Put a lid on the jar and give it a good healthy shake.
- Place Nocino in a dark, cool cupboard for about 6-8 weeks. Remember to give it a shake at least every couple days while it's macerating. It will turn a very dark green and get thick and syrupy.
- After 6-8 weeks, strain the mixture and discard all the spices and walnuts. Pour the strained dark liquid into a clean jar and return to a dark, cool cupboard. Allow the Nocino to cure here for at least another few weeks. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will meld and the tannins will mellow.
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
