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If you enjoy a cold Limoncello during the summer, you will love this homemade Italian liquor for the winter, made with green walnut hulls. But do not wait any longer the time to make it is June!
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What is Nocino
The Italian liquor Nocino is less well known than Limoncello. While Limoncello is perfect as Summer after-dinner digestive, Nocino is its winter equivalent.
It has a nutty creamy taste and is the perfect digestive after a winter stew or roast. It is not easy to find in the store, so the best option is to make it at home……
and NOW is the time!
The challenge is to find the ingredients……
First challenge: Where do I find green walnuts
Nocino is made with green walnuts and they have to be picked before they mature on the tree, around mid-June.
They do not sell them at the Supermarkets, so you will need to find a tree. Depending on where you are in the world you may find one very close to you, To find out more you can read the article:
The Top Walnut Producing Countries Of The World
When to pick the walnuts
The Italian tradition recommends to pick the walnuts on Saint John’s day, the 24th of June, but clearly it depends on your location. I picked them around the 10th of June and they were at the perfect stage of maturity, green outside and white inside.
Walnut hull benefits
The walnut hull contains a certain percentage of hydrojuglone. When you cut the walnut the hydrojuglone reacts with the Oxygen and forms the juglone which has a reddish colour.
The juglone has antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic effects. It is used as a fungicide for skin and for natural hair colouring.
It does stain, so you have to be careful and ware disposable gloves when you cut them.
Where I found the walnuts
In a magical garden with a 360 degree panoramic view over Saint Paul de Vence, the sea and the Alps.
It is the garden of Elisabeth Soulaine. Elisabeth is my son Francesco’s art teacher; she runs Art Atelier classes for children at her villa in Saint Paul de Vence. Francesco has attended her classes since he was 5 years old.
A large glass room with a long table full of colours, chalk, pastels, watercolour, oil painting where children can express all their creativity.
Every year at the end of June, Elisabeth organises an Art Exposition of all the children’s art work in her garden.
The garden around the walnut trees was always full of perished walnuts, not even the squirrels could finish them all. So this year I couldn’t resist and asked Elisabeth if I can pick some for a recipe.
The supply was more than enough, so I had to find the second rare ingredient.
The second rare ingredient
95% pure alcohol, which you can find in Italy, but not here in France! Here on the Cote d’Azur, it is easy to drive to the Italian frontier and buy it in Ventimiglia.
In USA, Johnnie mentioned in the comment below that you can find 95% Alcohol Everclear.
If you cannot buy the 95% pure Alcohol in your country, you can use Vodka.
Though, my luck was just around the corner as our friends Pierre and Anna had some extra, and proposed an exchange: 1 litre of alcohol in exchange of 1/3 of the Nocino.
Nocino recipe is an Italian family tradition
The recipe is a family treasure, it was given to me from my Aunt Anna (second from the left), my father’s sister.
Every time we would go to visit her she would have a cupboard full of homemade liquors, some from the family and others from my cousin’s friends from Tuscany.
Also my Aunt Lalla (third from the left, and yes, Laura like me), their younger sister, she is famous for her Limoncello, and we had a delicious one last summer in Lipari.
The lemons from the Eolie Islands in Sicily are unbeatable, and her recipe is outstanding. Unfortunately, our lemon tree died, but we replant a lemon tree so I shared my recipe Here.
My father, Francesco (here with my Aunt Lalla at her first communion), used to make Citronella liqueur, which we grew in our terrace. Even if he never drank it, we always had some to offer when friends came for dinner.
For Italians, homemade liquors are like special family treats, and like memories and old pictures, we like to share them with our friends.
No risk of botulism
Since a reader asked, I would like to reassure everyone who has doubts, this liqueur is not at risk of botulism. This recipe uses Alcohol 95% or vodka 50% of ethanol.
Here is a study that proves botulism cannot grow in Alcohol: ”The growth and neurotoxin production (botulism) were delayed by an ethanol concentration of 4% ethanol and completely inhibited by a concentration of 6%”.
Effect of Ethanol on the growth of Colstridium botulinum
Botulism is a concern with home canning… not fermentation or infusions of fruits and vegetables. Here more information about botulism from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service:
How to make the Nocino
N.B. Before you get started, make sure you have some disposable plastic gloves as the walnut hull makes indelible stains. If not, you will have stained fingers for a while.
For 1 litre of 95% pure alcohol the ingredients are as follows:
- 16 green walnuts
- 16 cloves
- 16 coffee beans
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- the zest of 1 lemon
- 1 lb – ½ kilo of sugar
- 2 cups – ½ litre of water
I use a large glass container holding at least 1 gal – 3 litres, which I bought exclusively to make these liquors. Make sure the bottleneck is large enough otherwise you will have…a bottleneck when you try to remove the walnuts from the bottle.
- Cut the walnuts into quarters, using rubber gloves as the walnut stains very badly.
- Peel the lemon with a potato peeler trying to avoid having too much of the white. Cut the lemon zest into small slices
- Use a large glass container holding at least 1 gal – 3 litres with a wide bottleneck
- Mix the spices and the alcohol in the bottle and keep in a dark place for 40 days.
- Give the bottle a shake every second day.
- After 40 days, filter the alcohol but do not throw away the walnuts.
- Make the syrup by warming up the water and sugar mix until the sugar has dissolved
- Wait until the syrup is cold before mixing it with the Nocino.
- Once you have mixed everything together you can pour it into small bottles and store them in your liquor cupboard.
When to drink Nocino
Once the Nocino bottles are ready, it is best to wait a few more months before you drink it. Christmas is a perfect time!
If you buy some fancy small bottles, this Italian liquor is a special treat to give friends at Christmas. They will love it. One of my bottles is definitely for Elisabeth!
For more edible liquor gifts you can check the category: Homemade liquors
Why you shouldn’t throw away the walnuts?
The deal with Pierre was: 1 litre of 95% alcohol in exchange of 1/3 Nocino and 1/3 Nocino wine. Nocino wine is made by pouring some wine over the walnuts leftover from the Nocino.
The wine will absorb the flavour of the walnuts and the spices as well as adding some extra alcoholic grades.
To make Nocino wine you just put the alcohol-soaked walnuts into 3 bottles of wine (red, rose or white).
Pierre likes it even better than Nocino. As a test, I will make some with red wine and drink it as a mulled wine at Christmas and some white wine to drink cold!
You can soak the walnuts in the wine for at least 1 month. I actually left them in there and used the wine to make mulled wine for Christmas.
Desserts you can serve with Nocino
Here is a list of desserts you can serve with Nocino:
- Traditional Struffoli Recipe With Cognac
- Torrone Italian Nougat Recipe
- Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse
- Roasted Chestnuts Recipe
- Pear crumble recipe
- Simply Apple Cupcakes Recipe
- Torta Caprese with Almond and Chocolate – Gluten Free
- Classic American Brownies
- Swiss Roll Sponge Recipe
- Apricot jam cake with marshmallow frosting and pistachio
More homemade liqueurs recipes
Homemade liqueurs are such a satisfying project, enjoy them after dinner with your partner on a special day, offer them at the end of a dinner party or package them in fancy bottles as an edible gift.
I already have some published and more will come. Just be ready when the fruits are in season to start your collection:
- limoncello
- limoncello cream
- curacao
- chocolate liqueur
- strawberry liqueur
- licorice liqueur
- Italian eggnog VOV
- violet liqueur
Check out the category: Homemade liquors
Subscribe to get: 20 cultural habits that make Italians great cooks
Plus download the printable liqueur labels you find in the picture below.
Setting up a liqueur workshop
You can easily create your liqueur workshop with just a few items. They are not expensive and you can order them online from my Amazon shop: Homemade Liqueur Lab. Those are my favorite and specially selected tools to make the process smooth and easy:
- Jars 67 ounce – 2 liters: I use large canning jars to infuse herbs or fruits in the alcohol. They are easily sealed and don’t take much room in the cupboard. I usually brew different types of liqueurs at the same times so I need several jars. If you are an occasional liqueur maker, you can just use the bottle below.
- 1 gallon – 3-liters glass bottle: I use this bottle in the second part of the brewing process, once I add the syrup. It is a transparent glass bottle so I can check how the liqueur is progressing and if it needs a good shake. It is important that this bottle has a large neck so the residuals of the fruits, zests, spices, or herbs can be easily removed without any problem once the liqueur is ready to be bottled. Personally I have 2 of those large bottles.
- Funnel with a wide and short stem: When you are pouring the liqueur from one bottle to another during the brewing process, you need to have a funnel with a wide and short stem so it doesn’t get clog with the ingredients that are brewing in the alcohol.
- Auto-stop funnel: However, once the liqueur is ready, filtered and all the solid particles have been removed, I like to use an auto-stop funnel with a floating system that stops the liquid from flowing once the bottled has been filled.
It is very difficult to gauge how much liquid can fit in a bottle and I often fill the funnel way too much. Instead of overflowing the bottle, the auto-stop funnel locks the stem automatically and the excess liquid remains in the funnel.
The funnel can be easily removed, transferred into another bottle using the handle that keeps the liquid inside the funnel and no liqueur is wasted.
- Fine Mesh Strainer: to remove all solids and particles from the liqueur once it is ready to be filtered.
- Measuring mugs: it is very important to use the exact proportion of syrup vs alcohol. Measurements mugs are a must.
- Ladle with spout: to easily pour the liquid into the funnels from a large bowl or pan. I always use the ladle with a spout to take the syrup from the pan where I boiled it into the funnel. If you don’t have a pan with a spout, this is the easiest way to pour the syrup once it is cold.
- Fancy vintage bottles: I love to have my own liqueur assortment into those vintage bottles. It gives my homemade liqueurs an extra wow factor.
- Small glass bottles with lids: if you want to store the liqueurs in small bottles or if you want to give it as gifts to friends and family those small bottles are perfect. The lid seals and they can be easily carried. They even come with labels to write the name of the liqueur and the date.
- Shot glass set and/or Small liqueur glasses: it is very important to serve the liqueur in small shot glasses so it can be slowly sipped and relished.
- Good Grips Bottle Brush: to easily clean all the bottles after each use. Some liqueurs can be very sticky and stain easily like the walnut hull.
- If you want to give your liqueur an extra festive look you can also use the Rose Ice Cube Stackable to make rose ices or the ice cube with light to make your liqueur shine at night.
If you are making this Nocino Liqueur, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
📋 Nocino Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cup 95% alcohol or vodka if you cannot find it replace with Vodka
- 16 green walnuts
- 16 cloves
- 16 coffee beans
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 lemon zest
- 17 oz caster sugar
- 2 cup fresh water
Equipment
Looking for kitchen gadget gifts?Instructions
- Cut the walnuts into quarters, using rubber gloves as the walnut stains very badly.16 green walnuts
- Peel the lemon with a potato peeler trying to avoid having too much of the white. Cut the lemon zest into small slices1 lemon zest
- Use a large glass container holding at least 1 gal – 3 litres with a wide bottleneck
- Mix all the spices with the alcohol in the bottle and keep them in a dark place for 40 days.16 cloves, 16 coffee beans, 1 pinch cinnamon, 4 cup 95% alcohol or vodka
- Give the bottle a shake every day.
- After 40 days, make the syrup by warming up the water and sugar mix until the sugar has dissolved.2 cup fresh water, 17 oz caster sugar
- Wait until the syrup is cold before mixing it with the Nocino.
- Filter the mix but do not throw away the walnuts.
- Once you have mixed everything together you can pour it into small bottles and store them in your liquor cupboard.
- It is best to wait until Christmas to drink it!
- You can make Nocino Wine by putting the alcohol soaked walnuts into 3 bottles of wine (red, rose or white). Enjoy !
Video
Notes
- Use rubber gloves when you cut the walnuts as the walnut stains very badly
- Use a large glass container holding at least 1 gal – 3 litres to mix all the ingredients and let them marinate.
- Make sure the neck of the container is wide enough otherwise the smaller ingredients may not come out of the container once the liquor has marinated.
- Don’t let the neck of the container become a bottleneck!
- Peel the lemon with a potato peeler trying to avoid having too much of the white.
- Cut the lemon zest into small slices so they can easily be removed from the bottle.
- Do not throw away the walnuts
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Laura, that was a fun read! I wish I could try the Nocino, but probably not as it has caffeine in it. I loved seeing the photos of your family!
Laura
Thank you Elaine, when you come to France I make sure to have one without coffee
Patty
Oh Laura, what an awesome post, I just love to make my alcohols and therefore I always have a 95° alcohol bottle at the ready! Of course, for the nocino, I wouldn’t know where to find the walnuts. I guess I’ll have to taste yours, That’ll be a long wait, Christmas is 6 months away… Loved your family photos 🙂
Laura
Deal, come over with your husband around Christmas time. But what a pity, I have some extra walnuts!
Jagruti
What a beautiful post you have shared with us, never heard of Nocino, glad you are following your family recipes. I don’t think I can find green walnuts here in the UK:(
Laura
Thank you Jagruti, I know they are rare ingredients. That is what makes them a great Christmas gift
Jenn
It sounds delicious! I probably don’t have the patience to make it, but I sure would enjoy trying it. 🙂 I love the story behind your recipe – such great memories!
Laura
Thank you Jenn, I am looking forward to trying it as well
Noel Lizotte
Wow! That was a wonderful lesson. I appreciate learning more about other cultures and this was a peek into yours. I really love the old family photos. Keep the traditions alive!
Laura
Thank you, they are good memories as most have passed away
Christina Shoemaker
Love the family history and photos! I don’t think I’ve ever seen green walnuts before! This sounds like it must be amazing and how special that you’re continuing such a beautiful tradition!
Laura
Thank you, Christina I was delighted when I found the walnut tree. I looking forward to next stage.
Mayuri Patel
What an interesting article Laura. So much to learn about. Its the first time I’ve seen pictures of green walnuts. An Italian couple who ran a restaurant here in Mombasa did mention once that she makes her own liquor when I had mentioned to her that I’d tasted limoncello for the first time during our trip to Italy. Now waiting patiently for the bottled liquor.
Laura
thank you Mayuri, it is amazing how making liquor is an Italian family tradition even for those who left Italy long time ago. It stays into their heritage
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I think that the quest to track down these rare ingredients would make for a fabulous trip! This sounds absolutely delicious. What gorgeous photos!
Laura
Thank you, now you have a reason to visit the Cote d’Azur
Beth @ Binky's Culinary Carnival
I have never tried Nocino! What an interesting recipe and a great way to use the walnuts! Thanks for sharing, Laura!
Cherie
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m curious how long you soak the alcohol-soaked walnuts in wine to make nocino wine?
Laura
Hello Cherie, you are very welcome. I am glad you find it of interest. You can soak the walnuts in the wine for at least 1 month. I actually left them in there and will use the wine to make mulled wine for Christmas.
Céline GARDÈRE
Great recipe which I think we’ll try! Loved the family picks and I couldn’t help noticing that Liam takes after your father and that my favourite artist looks like a male version of your aunt Lala (reminds me of his little face back when he was in my class).
Buona Pasqua
Laura
Funny you say that as I was looking at Liam the other day and I thought the same. I never thought about Francesco and my aunt but I can see that now.
aretephora
I just ran across your post… as I’m literally starting my first nocino. I live in Southern California and we have many California Walnut trees. I’m making two batches: 1) traditional with lemon, vanilla, and cinnamon; 2) with other spices like allspice, star anise, and cardamom. I’m very interested in your walnut-wine. What kind of wine is usually used? Do you add anything else to it? How long does it “rest”? Can you drink it plain, without mulling it? Thank you for your post; I will be checking out your other recipes soon!
Laura
Oh, I am so pleased you will make the Nocino. You will be delighted I can assure you. For the Nocino wine, you can buy any reasonably priced red or white wine, don’t spend too much money. A bottle around $4 to $5, I am not very familiar with Californian’s wine but here in France, a Beaujolais or Pinot Noir or a dry white would be fine. Keep the infusion no longer than 1 week, no need to add anything else. And yes, you can drink as it is.
Barbara Contini
Thanks for the suggestions. We have been making Nocino for several years following Cousin Bruno’s recipe (from Italy). After 90 days his recipe calls for the addition of a bottle of “robust” red wine. It doesn’t include the coffee beans, but I like that idea and will try it this year.
Laura
Interesting, I never heard of red wine in Nocino, but it sounds interesting. Let me know if you like the coffee, it does add an extra flavour
Donna Genova
I just made my second batch of Nocino (4 gallons) I live in Pennsylvania and we have many black walnut trees. I was looking to do something with the black walnuts and came across Nocino. Last year’s Nocino we will be drinking this Thanksgiving and Christmas. My husband took a sip a month ago and loved it. To the black walnuts i added Vodka, lemon zest and cinnamon sticks. This year I added cloves. also I will make another gallon using coffee beans. Do you use 1 coffee bean for each walnut? A question about using the strained black walnuts – do i soak the wine in the walnuts for 1 month or 1 week? We don’t have $4 or $5 bottles of wine here, but what types can I use? I have a case of Merlot that I’m not fond of so I was thinking to add the walnuts to that and maybe I’d drink it then. Thank you.
Laura
That sounds like a good production. Yes, I use 1 coffee bean for each walnut and if you are making the wine nocino soak it only for 1 week. The alcohol is very strong. You can use Merlot and if you warm it up you can make mulled wine for Christmas.
Johnnie
You are very mistaken about 95 percent alcohol being available only in Italy. Everclear is available is many states and its 190 proof.
Laura
Perfect, I am happy to hear. Thank you for letting me know. I will amend the text
Tim Harrison
Thanks for the recipe! My first batch of nocino was so successful two years ago that I’ve just picked my green walnuts for the second batch. I live in the UK and the park just across the road has several lovely walnut trees. Sadly we only have 40% ABV spirit available, but it seems to work well, and I don’t have to dilute so much with water at the end of the process. Incidentally, my walnut schnapps will be ready to drink in 2028…!
Laura
I am so glad to hear, you were lucky with the tree just across. I didn’t make a new batch this year as I have more types of liquors as working progress. Coming up shortly, strawberry and blueberry
Jim
We live just outside Geneva Switzerland and I discovered that some close friends have a walnut tree. I’m sure that you can guess where this is going…
June 24th I went and picked 20 unripe, green walnuts and proceeded to follow your Nocino recipe. I now have the alcohol, nuts, lemon rind, coffee beans and cinnamon macerating together. But I am unsure about the next steps. In the video after the 40 days maceration you add a syrup made with 1.5 litres of water and 900 grams of sugar. In the printed recipe, it states 500ml water and 500 grams sugar for the syrup. Could you kindly tell me which amount is correct? I am 95% sure that I will need to dilute the strong alcohol mix with more than 500 ml of water but I’m keen to get it right.
Many thanks and kind regards,
Laura
Hello Jim, I am so glad you are trying my nocino. I am sure you will love it. Apologize for the confusion, the right measurements are in the recipe card. It must have been a mistake while editing the video instructions. I will correct the video as soon as I have a chance. Thank you for letting me know
Deb
Jim,
How do you know how much water to add if you’re using a lower proof alcohol? I live in California, and I cannot legally obtain 95%ABV here (looks like I can get Everclear that is 60 proof at best).
Deb
I meant 60ABV, 120 proof.
Laura
Hello Deborah, too bad you cannot find the 95% alcohol. You can try reducing the water by 20%. Try 1 3/4 cup, but the liqueur will always be less alcoholic than the one made with 95%. The flavor will also be different as less diluted. However, give it a try I am sure it will still be good. Make sure the sugar is melted completely, even if you are using less water.
Cat
Hi, I have loads of black walnuts that were collected ripe, and some already have blackening and (I’m guessing) the shells are already formed and hardened inside the husks. Would it be a good idea to try nocino with these, or are they too mature? Thanks!
Laura
Hi, it sounds like they are too matured. The hull has to be green. Try next year and mark it on your calendar. You have to be timely.
Jeremy Becker
I’ve made nocino a few times, and love that I ran across a way to use the leftover walnuts! With the nocino wine, do you just rebottle and recork once done infusing? How long will it last/is it shelf-stable/etc.? Or perhaps add a little vodka/brandy to up the alcohol content so it stores longer?
Thanks in advance!
Laura
Hi Jeremy, thank you for your comment. You can just rebottle but don’t need to seal it. There is enough alcohol content there to keep it safe. You don’t really need to add more vodka or brandy. The only problem you may have is the flavor, as it will change with time. That will also depend on the wine you are using if it ages well or not. I would probably use it within 3 to 6 months to make sure the flavor doesn’t change too much.
Miko Romano
Hi there, just a question about the wine infusion. How long do you leave the wine with the nuts before transferring into bottles? The video made it seem that it’s a quick shake then straight to bottle.
Thanks.
Laura
Hi Miko, someone else asked the same question before so I have now included the answer on the post: You can soak the walnuts in the wine for at least 1 month. I actually left them in there and will use the wine to make mulled wine for Christmas.