Nocino (2024)

FAQs

Nocino? ›

What Is It? A traditional Italian liqueur made from green, unripe walnuts that is enjoyed as a digestif or mixed into co*cktails. For our version, we harvest the walnuts ourselves from trees in Fort Wayne, giving this liqueur an Indiana twist.

What Is It? A traditional Italian liqueur made from green, unripe walnuts that is enjoyed as a digestif or mixed into co*cktails. For our version, we harvest the walnuts ourselves from trees in Fort Wayne, giving this liqueur an Indiana twist.

Green walnuts – Nocino, the diminutive of noce (walnut in Italian) gets it flavor from macerated green walnuts. Grappa, a brandy made from grapes, serves as its base ingredient. Picked early in the season, sliced walnuts still in their husks soak in the grappa to develop its flavor.

Nocino is a bittersweet Italian amaro that I first learned about from the postings of many knowledgeable and adventurous foragers I follow on Instagram. Even though I had never tasted nocino, commercial or homemade, I was drawn to making my own.

While Nocino is commonly enjoyed as an after-dinner treat, it has surprisingly much to offer in regard to nutrition. The liqueur actually does work as a digestive tonic, stimulating saliva production which, in turn, increases gut motility and rouses digestion.

Nocino may be stored unrefrigerated, out of the sun now, for several years. The flavor improves with age, so let it rest for a couple months, if you can, before enjoying it.

Commercially available nocino is typically 40 percent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.

To make the Nocino, it is said that the walnuts must be gathered by the woman most skilled at preparing the drink. This woman must climb barefooted into the tree and pick only the finest nuts by hand without damaging the skin. The walnuts are then left in the evening dew throughout the night and infused the next day.

Sambuca is produced by the infusion of elder bush and licorice, sweetened with sugar and enhanced with a secret combination of herbs and spices. Tasting Notes: Romana Sambuca is a distinctive, flavorful and unique Italian liqueur.

Tell me about Jager. “For starters, it's an amaro,” explained Kohler. “Most people don't really think about it like that, but that's what it is. It's potable bitters.” And although Jager leans toward the sweeter end of the amaro spectrum, the deep herbal complexity is there.

Is Campari an amaro? ›

Gaspare Campari invented the liqueur in 1860 near Milan. Like most amari, its recipe is a closely held secret, but many drinkers speculate its prominent bitter flavor comes from chinotto oranges. Although it features in countless co*cktails, Campari is rarely sipped neat—perhaps for good reason.

Aperol is a botanical liqueur that's been made in Italy for over a hundred years. The bright orange beverage was invented by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri in 1919 in Padua, Italy. It's technically considered a type of amaro, which is categorized by its bitterness (the word amaro itself translates to bitter).

Now fresh nocino is very bitter despite the added sugar and spices because of all the tannins that get extracted from the green walnuts. However, over time those tannins breakdown and soften. While most traditional nocino recipes say to let it rest for a year after making it so that it has time to mellow.

Nocino is light in body but rich in flavor, bitter with a sweet finish and a distinctive earthy, herbal note. While nocino is defined by the flavor of green walnuts, its overall taste depends on the botanicals used by each distiller.

We used black walnuts for our nocino, though traditional recipes call for English walnuts (also known as Persian walnuts). Both work fine, though black walnuts tend to produce slightly more tannic nocini since they are richer in juglone.

To make the Nocino, it is said that the walnuts must be gathered by the woman most skilled at preparing the drink. This woman must climb barefooted into the tree and pick only the finest nuts by hand without damaging the skin. The walnuts are then left in the evening dew throughout the night and infused the next day.

Walnut liqueur is a dark brown, bitter and appealing beverage, often served as an aperitif or being used as a tonic and digestive aid with beneficial effects against stomach trouble and digestion inconveniences (Alamprese et al.

Now fresh nocino is very bitter despite the added sugar and spices because of all the tannins that get extracted from the green walnuts. However, over time those tannins breakdown and soften. While most traditional nocino recipes say to let it rest for a year after making it so that it has time to mellow.

A Note on Green Walnut Harvesting & Cutting for Nocino

It's time to harvest them when the green walnuts are about the size of a small lime. This falls between mid-May and early July, depending on how hot your spring is.