🥃 Nocino

Nocino is a liqueur whose flavour comes mainly from macerating, or macerating and distilling, whole green walnuts (Juglans regia). In the EU it is category 38 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787: strength of at least 30% vol. and at least 100 g/l of sugar, expressed as invert sugar.

The best-known version has the geographical indication "Nocino di Modena" (since 2008). Its specification requires at least 250 g of walnuts per litre of finished liqueur, fruit picked in June while the shell is still soft. The nuts are cut and steeped in alcohol for at least four months, then the infusion matures for another six. The finished liqueur is 38-43% vol. with 150-400 g/l of sugar; an infusion of cinnamon, cloves or coriander may be added.

According to the tradition cited in the specification, the walnuts are picked on 24 June, the feast of St John the Baptist. The recipe for the "liqueur called nocino" was written down by the Modena cook Ferdinando Cavazzoni in 1860-1867, and in 1891 Pellegrino Artusi included it in his book "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene". The label may say "invecchiato" after at least 20 months of maturing and "riserva" after 32 months. It is bottled only in glass bottles of up to 1.5 l.

Why it matters to you. The dark brown colour and the taste of an unripe nut come from the raw material itself. Walnuts are an allergen under EU rules and must be declared on the label even in a spirit drink. Nocino is at least 30% vol., stronger than most liqueurs. WHO: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.