Homemade Nocino (green walnut liqueur)
(a David Lebovitz recipe)

On the 23 and 24th of June the green walnuts are traditionally harvested in Italy for  the use of liqueur making. It’s when inside the shell the walnut is starting to form. No hurry, harvesting until mid July is still fine!

30 green, unripe walnuts
500g sugar
1l Vodka
2 sticks cinnamon
10 whole cloves
the zest of a lemon (organic, not sprayed)

Quarter the walnuts (PLEASE wear gloves, if you don’t want to  be mistaken for a heavy smoker because of the yellow stains on your fingers)

Mix everything in a jar, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then  add the quartered walnuts.

Tightly close the jar and let it stand for 2 month on the counter shaking the jar every day.When it’s ready to bottle filter it through a cheesecloth or coffee filter and pour it into a clean bottle

The ideal version of a Nocino is spicy, sweet and slightly bitter. Or as David Lebovitz says “It should have a dreamy espresso-like walnut aroma”. Read here the verdict of my experts friends I invited for a homemade-Nocino- testing 6 years ago.