Kitchen Recipe Collection
Homemade Italian Nocino
A dark, complex, bitter-sweet walnut liqueur traditionally made by steeping unripe, green walnuts in alcohol with spices. A famous winter digestivo.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 400000 min
- Servings
- 30
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 30 servings
- unripe green walnuts (harvested in late June)
- grain alcohol (95%)
- granulated sugar
- water
- cinnamon sticks
- whole cloves
- lemon zest
Equipment
- Gloves
- Large glass jar with a tight lid
- Cutting board
- Fine sieve and cheesecloth
Instructions
- 1
Timing is Everything
Traditionally, the green, unripe walnuts must be harvested precisely on June 24th (the feast of San Giovanni).
- 2
Wear Gloves
Crucial step: Put on rubber gloves. The juice from green walnuts will stain your hands a dark brown that takes weeks to wash off.
- 3
Quarter the Walnuts
Wash the green walnuts. Cut them into quarters. The shell inside should not be fully formed yet; the knife should go through with some resistance.
- 4
Jar
Place the quartered walnuts into a very large glass jar.
- 5
Add Spices
Add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and a few strips of lemon zest.
- 6
Add Alcohol
Pour the grain alcohol over the walnuts, ensuring they are completely submerged. Seal the jar tightly.
- 7
Steep (The Wait)
Place the jar in a sunny spot (like a windowsill) for 40-60 days. Shake it gently every few days. The liquid will turn pitch black.
- 8
Make Syrup
After the steeping period, make a simple syrup by boiling the sugar and water. Let it cool completely.
- 9
Strain and Combine
Strain the black walnut alcohol through cheesecloth, discarding the solids. Mix the alcohol with the cooled simple syrup.
- 10
Age
Bottle the Nocino. It tastes harsh initially. It MUST age in a dark cupboard until at least Christmas, and preferably for a full year, to mellow into a complex liqueur.
Cooking Tips
- The aging process is mandatory. Young Nocino tastes like medicine; aged Nocino tastes like chocolate, espresso, and warm spices.
- The walnuts must be green and unripe. If the inner shell has turned to wood and you cannot cut them with a knife, it is too late in the season.
Variations
- Some families add a split vanilla bean or coffee beans to the steeping jar.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- A deeply steeped tradition in Modena and the wider Emilia-Romagna region.
Nutrition Estimate
85 calories · 0g protein · 10g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber per serving
