If you love spirit-forward cocktails that are deep, warm, and botanical, this Nocino Black Manhattan is a recipe you’ll want to keep in your back pocket. Nocino (a deeply aromatic walnut liqueur) transforms the classic Black Manhattan cocktail into something richer, darker, and more complex, with warm spices and a slightly bitter finish. It’s smooth, sophisticated, and the perfect cozy-yet-elegant drink for fall and winter.
Whether you’re already making your own homemade Nocino or experimenting with it for the first time, this upgraded riff is so easy and so special.
What you need for this Nocino cocktail
This recipe is a slight twist on the classic Black Manhattan cocktail, which swaps sweet vermouth for an amaro. In this version, we use Nocino as the amaro component, pairing it with rye whiskey, bitters, and an optional cherry for a drink that’s slightly bitter and slightly sweet.
If you ask me, this is one of the best drinks to make with Nocino. It’s a perfect holiday cocktail or after-dinner drink.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Rye whiskey or bourbon
- Nocino (homemade or store-bought)
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura or similar)
- Orange bitters
- Cocktail cherry or orange peel (for garnish)
Recipe overview
⏱️ Time to make: 5 minutes
🍸 Yield: 1 cocktail
💪 Skill level: Beginner
😋 Flavor profile: Spirit-forward, warm, dark, and bittersweet with notes of holiday spice, dried fruit, and aromatic bitters. Pairs well with: Chocolate desserts, holiday cookies, roasted nuts, and cozy winter evenings.
What is Nocino?
Nocino is a traditional Italian liqueur made from unripe green walnuts steeped in alcohol with sugar and spices. The result is an inky-dark, bittersweet, deeply aromatic spirit with notes of cinnamon, clove & allspice, bitter herbs, vanilla bean, coffee, and dried fruit.
It’s warming, complex, and pairs well with bourbon and rye, citrus, bitters, and other spices.
If you’ve never made your own before, it’s easier than you think! Nocino is traditionally made with unripe English or Black walnuts harvested in mid summer, then steeped for 6–8 weeks. The finished liqueur lasts for years and only improves with age.
A bottle of homemade Nocino also makes a fantastic holiday gift or cocktail party conversation piece.
👉 Make your own! I have a full guide for making your own Nocino (including how to forage the walnuts, how long to steep it, and how to know when it’s ready).
How to make a Nocino Black Manhattan
Find the full ingredients list and detailed recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
- Fill a mixing glass with ice.
- Add rye/bourbon, Nocino, and both bitters.
- Stir until well-chilled, about 20–30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or lowball glass.
- Garnish with a cocktail cherry or a twist of orange peel (or both!).
That’s it – simple, elegant, and perfectly balanced.
Serving suggestions
This Nocino cocktail is wonderful served with:
- Dark chocolate desserts (try mini chocolate cakes or sourdough brownies!)
- Gingerbread or spice cakes (it’s perfect with Gingerbread Latte Cake)
- Nutty cookies, like pecan sandies or black sesame cookies
- Chocolate shortbread cookies
- Molasses cookies
- Brown butter desserts like this pecan galette or these chocolate chip cookies
- Cheese plates and charcuterie boards
Variations & substitutions
This is a very simple cocktail with minimal ingredients, but there’s still some room to play around if you want to mix it up a bit. Try experimenting with:
- Bourbon instead of rye → sweeter, rounder flavor
- A dash of chocolate bitters → extra depth
- 1-2 drops Luxardo cherry juice → subtle cherry flavor and extra sweetness
- Sweet vermouth instead of Nocino for a classic Manhattan
- Italian amaro (like Averna) instead of Nocino for a classic Black Manhattan
- Serving in a lowball glass over a big cube instead of served up
Or, try a ½ oz sweet vermouth + ½ oz Nocino for a cocktail that’s somewhere in between the classic and Black Manhattan. Honestly, I think this is my favorite version!
FAQs
A classic Manhattan uses sweet vermouth, while a Black Manhattan uses a bittersweet Amaro instead. The Black version is a bit richer and darker with more bitter and herbal notes.
I always like to describe it as “winter magic”. It’s a little bitter, a little sweet and syrupy, with tons of warming spices and vanilla bean. It has notes of black coffee, stout, molasses, prune, cherry bark, and cola. If you want to try it, ask for it at a nice cocktail bar or Italian restaurant.
You can use just aromatic bitters, but the two together create a perfectly balanced final cocktail.
Typically, a rye whiskey is used for this drink. However, a good bourbon or single malt whiskey is also delicious.
For more Nocino cocktail ideas, see my post on making your own Nocino liqueur.
More witchy, botanical cocktails
Did you make this Nocino Black Manhattan? Please leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers and makes me ridiculously happy. Thank you!
Nocino Black Manhattan
Equipment
- Coupe glass (or lowball glass)
Ingredients
- 2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
- 1 ounce Nocino, store-bought or homemade
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters, such as Angostura
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 Luxardo/maraschino cherry or orange twist, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a glass or cocktail shaker with ice. Add 2 oz rye or bourbon, 1 oz Nocino, 2 dashes aromatic bitters, and 1 dash orange bitters. Stir gently until well chilled, about 20-30 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry or orange peel.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
