A Complete Guide to Nocino Walnut Liqueur

You’ve explored the world of amaro and you’re adept at aperitivo. You sip Fernet, order Cynar, and finish your evenings with Braulio. Looking for your next lesson in digestivo? Perhaps it should be nocino walnut liqueur.

Consider nocino, amaro’s nutty cousin. According to Italian lore, witches would gather each year on June 24, known as San Giovanni Day or the Feast of San Giovanni, to climb black walnut trees and gather the fruit. They’d harvest the nut, macerate it in a neutral spirit, and add sugar and water to make a rich, magical digestivo. It would be aged for six months and poured liberally around the holidays.

Today, a handful of producers keep the traditions alive. They conjure up a rich, nutty, bittersweet and deep-brown liqueur from summer’s walnuts. 

“Nocino is such a cool product,” says Alex Cuper of El Che Steakhouse in Chicago. “I love nocino for its deep nutty quality and ability to add such a depth in flavor with such a small amount too.”  Cuper loves to end an evening with a sip. “It’s delicious on its own, after a large meal.”

How is Nocino made?

Records seem to indicate ancient Romans enjoyed a dark walnut liqueur, though the richest traditions come from Emilia-Romagna and Campania. In those regions, nocino is made with unripe black walnuts, picked in the later days of June when the trees bloom and become fragrant. 

Recipes diverge, depending on who’s making them. Some traditions add vanilla or spices, while others let the walnut dominate. 

At New Riff Distilling, a Kentucky-based whiskey distillery, its house-made nocino has notes of spice cake and flavors of coffee cake. “It’s super nutty with a rich body, bright citrus, and a hint of warming oakiness, all the hallmarks of cold-weather delights,” says Catherine Manabat, the director of hospitality.

New Riff’s nocino began as an experiment during the pandemic. It was delicious. Small batches are now made to be poured at the Aquifer, New Riff’s on-site bar. 

New Riff starts with a rye distillate that runs through a column still, which is routed again through a pot still. Nuts and spices are added, and the mixture is left to rest for six weeks. Oxygen is pumped through once a week to turn the walnuts from bright green to a deep brown. 

“That’s when the piney bitterness starts to morph into a rich, syrupy nuttiness,” says Manabat. “After the six weeks are up, we strain out all the nuts and spices and dilute it down to 60 proof [30% ABV] using a simple syrup. We also add some four-year-aged rye whiskey to add a little oaky quality and some peppery spice, and let that marry together for another six weeks before bottling.”

At Hermitage Farm in Kentucky, the staff at the on-site Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar pick black walnuts from trees across the 683-acre property. The walnuts are fermented with Kentucky sorghum, cinnamon, lemon, brown sugar, and vanilla bean to make a hyperlocal digestivo. 

“Both our beverage and culinary teams enjoy foraging and sourcing locally as part of our overall sustainability efforts,” says Miranda Densford, Barn8’s beverage director. “And what better use for walnuts than to make a digestif?

How do you drink Nocino?

“I love nocino for its versatility and rich depth,” says Micah Wilder, co-owner and beverage director at Ama in Washington, D.C. “It plays well with bitter, spirit-forward cocktails and luxurious seasonal flips, and sours. You can also drizzle on an affogato or gelato for a decadent finish.” Barn8 Restaurant & Bourbon Bar pours nocino over vanilla ice cream to make a boozy, nutty float. 

Nocino can be swapped easily into classic cocktail recipes. “[With its] velvety round mouth, nocino can really enhance any classic,” says Wilder. “Push a bittersweet Vermouth di Torino with nocino and take your Manhattan to the next level, increasing the range, depth, and complexity.”

Geof Anderson, lead bartender at Ringside Steakhouse in Portland, Oregon, also loves a nocino Manhattan. He adds a quarter-ounce of nocino to Maker’s Mark and Dolin Rouge. “It adds a sweet walnut character to the profile of the vermouth. And the nuttiness complements the oak tones of the Maker’s,” he says.

Nocino bottles to buy

If you want to get crafty, you can make your own nocino. Or save yourself the foraging hours and opt for one of the small-batch brands available nationwide. 

Forthave Spirits’ Black is made with black walnuts foraged in upstate New York and processed at its Brooklyn distillery.

Kyle Davidson, beverage director of the Day Off Group, which includes Rose Mary and BLVD Steakhouse, suggests Don Ciccio & Figli Nocino. “It’s a classic-style nocino made with unripe green walnuts,” he says. “They claim to adhere to the tradition of picking the unripe walnuts on June 24th, the day of San Giovanni, and make a balanced liqueur with rich, sweet, strong, and bitter notes. “

Davidson also recommends something a bit further afield. “Orahovac is a Croatian walnut liqueur that is very similar to nocino,” he says. “We serve it chilled after dinner, and also have it on the cocktail menu mixed with bourbon, blade mace, and Punt E Mes.”

You can also raise the octane with Nucillo ’e Curti, a walnut-infused liqueur that follows the same steps as nocino, but finishes at 50% ABV. “It has a more bitter profile, and more medicinal and herbal additives, as opposed to the common nocino additions of vanilla, citrus, and baking spice,” says Davidson.