Kitchen Stories: Nocino Walnut Liqueur

Nocino is an Italian liqueur with very dark color and made from small green walnuts while still unripe.
There are many recipes for this liqueur, with several days of exposure to sun, etc. I preferred a short and simple process with the only difference that in this case you let it for 6-7 months to mature the flavor and bring out the aromas.
Adding lemon peel reduces the astringent taste of the liqueur. If you have easy access to walnut, try to make this lovely, traditional, homemade liqueur.
Yours!

work: 30′

time: 24h:00′

easy:

«Nocino» Walnut Liqueur

Nocino is a sticky dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts. After steeping in spirit, the walnuts are removed and the now-black alcohol is mixed with simple syrup. Nocino has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade; villages and even individual families often have their own recipes, including different additions like cinnamon or clove. Nocino is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available Nocino is typically 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.
During the Middle Ages, Italian monasteries used nocino for its medicinal properties and also as an alcoholic treat.
Ordine del Nocino Modenese is an association of Spilamberto, Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy which, since 1978, promotes the traditional Nocino of Modena.
Nocino is also produced in New Zealand by NewZino, under the name "NutZino Walnut Liqueur" and in Australia by Timboon Railway Shed Distillery in Timboon, Victoria.
In Modena The Typical Walnut of Modena Roll of Tasters "Il Matraccio“ has for years been operating a no-profit company which aims to spread this product through the world’s first travelling school for Walnut of Modena tasters: "Nocinando". Furthermore, in collaboration with the municipality of Castelfranco Emilia, the association organizes "Nocinopoli" – The Nocino Town: a night in which everything is related to Nocino, the real star of the event. The event takes place in the heart of Castelfranco Emilia every third Wednesday of July: the main street Via Emilia, which as the other streets and squares of the city centre change their names, is closed to traffic to permit the stalls to expose high quality products of territory of Modena. Besides the inevitable Nocino (with all its derivatives), which acts as landlord, there are other products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, Prosciutto di Modena, Lambrusco, musk melon, Borlenghi, Ciacci, Crescentine and much more from other Italian provinces and regions invited for the occasion.

Ingredients (~1.5 liter [3.17 Pints] liquer)

35 walnuts, fresh, green
5-10 cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in 3
1 lemon peel
500g (1.1 lbs) sugar
500g (1.1 lbs) alcohol, for drinks, or vodka or raki
1 liter water
disposable gloves

We wear gloves, wash the nuts and cut in two lengthwise and then in four across.

Place all the cut pieces of nuts in a saucepan. Add all the water to cover it well. Place the pan on a medium to high heat.

Inside the pot, add the lemon peel, cinnamon and cloves. Cover the pot and let it boil for 10'.

After 10 'withdraw the saucepan from the heat and leave aside covered overnight. During this time the color of boiling water will darken a lot.

The next day, return them to the pot on the fire to boil to make syrup. Add the sugar and stir well to melt. Boil the syrup with nuts for 10' more.

Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool its contents completely.
Drain the syrup in a large bowl, passing through a strainer.

Finally add the last ingredient, alcohol. Stir thoroughly to homogenize the mixture.

Fill bottles with the help of a funnel, a deep ladle and absorbent paper, which change frequently. For the refining process requires some patience. Our liqueur will be ready in 6-7 months. The longer it stays matures the taste and aroma.