APOTHECARY: How to Make Nocino… Your Own Homemade Black Walnut Liqueur
- Ingredients for Homemade Nocino Liqueur
- How to Make Nocino: Equipment & Method
- Related Recipes & Links
Today, we’re going to learn how to make nocino, your own black walnut (or English walnut) flavored liqueur! This greenish-tinged aged infused spirit has a complex flavor and makes a great aperitif or digestif. Best of all, it’s simple to make at home. The hardest part is harvesting the walnuts, and getting them at the right time. We lucked out and found a downed branch after a summer storm on a great big black walnut tree we found out on a walk, which made harvesting a backpack full of nuts super easy! Traditionally the nuts are harvested on June 24th, at Midsummer or St. John’s Day, and the spirit is aged for at least six months and enjoyed over the winter holidays, at Christmas or the Winter Solstice (whichever you celebrate, or both, like in our household).Â
Ingredients for Homemade Nocino Liqueur
Immature Walnuts:
You will need young, unripe green walnuts that can be easily sliced with a knife. The shell will still be soft, and the nut-meat liquidy and jelly-like. The nuts in this batch were harvested in early-mid July, and a bit shriveled as the limb they were on fell from the tree in a storm the previous week, but they worked just fine. That’s about the latest you can make this work in our climate, but the harvest window varies from season to season, so don’t fret if you can’t pick them exactly on the traditional date… but it’s a good idea if you aren’t sure to try slicing through one with a sharp pocket knife before hauling a bunch home!
You can use black walnuts, English walnuts, butternuts, or your locally available species of walnut, although all will have a different flavor. If you have access to multiple types, make several batches to experiment with different blends, or blend them together in the infusion jars for a combined taste of your local terroir.
You’ll need about a pound of nuts per quart jar, though you can make a milder batch with less if that’s all you can get. I like to slice them in quarters if they’re large, so that you can fit more nuts per jar to save space. You can always dilute the final infusion (and I like to use an additional cup or so of vodka or neutral alcohol to rinse the strained nuts after they have steeped so that you get all the flavor from them, then a second rinse with the water for the simple syrup before combining it with the sugar).
Spirits:
Any neutral spirit of at least 80 proof can be used, though higher proof vodka, unaged brandy, or Everclear work particularly well at extracting the flavors without being overly diluted by the simple syrup that is added after infusion.
Spices:
A hint of cinnamon, clove, vanilla, or coffee bean can be nice, but you don’t want to overdo it. Go easy on these if you choose to add them. Remember, less is more here- you don’t want your nocino to accidentally taste like drinking a Christmas candle. Subtlety is sublime, so just a little bit here, okay? I added a few coffee beans and two or three cloves to one of my half gallon jars, and a split black cardamom pod to another. I tried them both and ended up blending them into one large batch when I strained them, and it’s quite nice! One small cinnamon stick per jar is plenty if you want to add that flavor note. If you are making a large gift-sized batch with multiple jars, try adding spices to some jars and leaving some plain, until you know what you prefer for future batches.
Simple Syrup:
The simple syrup is added at bottling after aging the infused spirit. It’s a rich syrup (heated to dissolve the sugar in the water) so you can get a nice sweetness and mouthfeel without overly diluting the liqueur. Don’t add too much and over dilute your liqueur or you risk it fermenting and spoiling. How much is “too much” depends on what proof of alcohol you start out with, plus how much liquid is added from the green walnuts. You can measure this accurately with a proof and tralle hydrometer before you add the sugar syrup, but most folks won’t have one of those lying around their kitchen, and you don’t need it. Just stick to these proportions and you’ll be fine:
One cup of strong simple syrup plus three cups 80 proof infused vodka equals 60 proof liqueur. For 100 proof alcohols, add an extra ounce of syrup (9 oz instead of 8) to three cups of infused alcohol to make the finished liqueur, or to taste. If you want a lower proof sweeter liqueur, two cups strong simple syrup plus three cups 80 proof vodka equals 48 proof liqueur.
I like to make the simple syrup when I am straining the liqueur. After straining the alcohol from the nuts, I “rinse” them with an additional cup of vodka (added back to the aged infusion) poured over them through the colander or wire strainer, and then, into a separate container, with a cup or two of water that I use to make the simple syrup. If you’ve gone to this much trouble, it’s nice to get all the flavor from them that you can! The water will be tinged brownish green and will add another layer of flavor. Any leftover nocino-flavored simple syrup after you have sweetened the liqueur can be used in iced teas and coffee drinks, tall drinks with soda water, cocktails, or desserts, and keeps well in the fridge.
How to Make Nocino: Equipment & Method
Cutting board and sharp knife
Nitrile gloves (optional)
Half gallon or quart mason jars
Attractive bottles for storage & presentation
The nuts will stain any porous surface they touch with a brownish black dye. Wear nitrile gloves if you don’t want brown stained hands, and an old cutting board or a wooden one you don’t mind staining (I used an old cutting board that I don’t care about and it didn’t stain permanantly, but an open-grained wood or plastic board might). Be especially careful around granite or stone countertops, especially if they haven’t been sealed. Work outside if necessary (yet another reason we have stainless and beat-up butcher block surfaces in our kitchen). Don’t use your nicest kitchen knife (if you have expensive thin carbon-steel knives, but if you do you probably already know that), just something sharp and serviceable enough to slice through the nuts.Â
You can use any clean glass jars that have tightly sealing lids, but half gallon mason jars are great if you have them. Otherwise, just use more quart jars. You’ll need about two quarts of nuts per half-gallon jar, which will make about a quart or liter of finished liqueur (approximately- this will depend on the size of the walnuts and how many are packed into the jar).
Aging and Enjoying your Nocino
After you have aged the spirits with the walnuts for at least six months, strain the liqueur and add the simple syrup. Taste and adjust the simple syrup if needed before bottling. The tannins will continue to soften as the liqueur ages, so if it is initially harsh, give it time and sample it again, or add more simple syrup. Bottle in an attractive bottle, and enjoy in cocktails, over ice cream, or sipped neat or over ice. Makes a nice tall drink with soda water on ice as well. Makes a special gift for the holidays, or age your batches and take note of how the liqueur changes over time… the abundant tannins from the walnuts will help this spirit age gracefully.Â
Black Walnut Nocino
Equipment
- large mason jar or other glass jar with tight-fitting lid half-gallon jar or quart is a good batch size
- nitrile or latex gloves (optional, to avoid staining hands)
- knife & cutting board
Ingredients
Infusion Ingredients
- immature black walnuts- 2 quarts per half gallon jar (english walnuts are fine and traditional although the flavor profile is different)
- vodka, grappa, unaged brandy, or other neutral spirit higher proof preferred but 80 proof will work
- spices as desired (cardamom, cinnamon stick, clove, coffee beans) less is more! use a sparing amount per jar, if any, so they don't overpower the walnuts
At Bottling
- strong simple syrup (sugar + water) (see recipe for instructions and ratio)
Instructions
- Harvest your green walnuts when the shells are thin and can be easily sliced with a regular kitchen knife. Use a sharp knife and be careful!
- The nuts will stain any porous surface they touch with a brownish black dye. Wear nitrile gloves if you don't want brown stained hands, and an old cutting board or a wooden one you don't mind staining.
- Slice the nuts in half or quarters, and discard any that have rot or bugs.
- As you slice the nuts, pack them into clean half gallon or quart mason jars (or other glass jars with tightly sealing lids).
- Once you have filled the jars, add any spices that you like (I used a few coffee beans and two or three cloves in one jar, and a cardamom pod in another). Be sparing here, you can always blend in more infused spice liqueur later if you want to change the flavor, but you can't take them out.
- Top the jars up with liqueur to cover, label the jars, and place in a cool dark cupboard or other place. Occasionally gently shake or invert the jars (more often at first to make sure everything is mixed and all the nuts are under the alcohol- top up if needed).
- Age the infusion at least six months before straining. It may taste harsh, but that will mellow with the addition of simple syrup and further aging.
- Strain the liqueur through a fine mesh strainer or chinoise, and additionally through cheesecloth, coffee filter, or filter paper if you want a very sparkling liqueur without any sediment (this may remove some color and takes a lot of patience).
- Sweeten the liqueur to taste with simple syrup (instructions below)... about one cup of simple syrup per three cups of strained infusion to make a quart.
- Bottle in an attractive bottle, and enjoy in cocktails, over ice cream, or sipped neat or over ice. Makes a nice tall drink with soda water on ice as well. The tannins will continue to soften as the liqueur ages, so if it is initially harsh, give it time and sample it again, or add more simple syrup.
Simple Syrup
- Make a strong simple syrup (2:1 ratio sugar to water) with either granulated white sugar or demerara sugar (raw sugar).
- Add a cup of water to two cups of sugar in a small saucepan, and bring the syrup just up to a boil for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar. Don't boil it longer than needed to dissolve the sugar or you risk making soft or hard caramel. Stir carefully until the sugar is dissolved- five minutes should be plenty of time.
- Let the syrup cool to lukewarm before adding it to the strained liqueur (one half cup at a time, to taste). Don't add hot syrup to your liqueur or you may evaporate off some of the alcohol.
- Store any leftover simple syrup in a boiled glass jar or sanitized container in the fridge to use in cocktails, beverages, or pastry. Discard if it becomes cloudy.