Nut liquor

The liqueur, ink-colored liqueur from the walnuts of the night (nocino) in the Middle Ages was used by monks exclusively for medical purposes, today it is cooked in almost every family in the north of Italy. Italians are so fond of this strong, bitter-sweet drink that in many cities they hold a competition for the best nut liquor of the year. According to the existing tradition, green walnuts for night gathering in the night from the 24th to the 25th of June. Firstly, because they reach the necessary milk maturity by this moment. And secondly, for the Italians this is a special, magical night.

Nut liquor recipe

Ingredients:

• walnuts - 29 pcs .;
• alcohol (96%) - 1.5 l;
• water 400 ml;
• cinnamon - 1 stick;
• cloves - 10 pcs .;
• lemon - 1 pc.

Preparation

Choose nuts with an intact green skin. We wash them, cut into 4 parts and fill them with nuts 3-liter jar. Fill them with alcohol. Add half a serving of sugar, cinnamon, cloves and zest of one lemon (cut with a very sharp knife only a yellow layer of peel). We close the jar with a lid and expose it to the sun.

From the remaining sugar and water on low heat, cook thick syrup and, if necessary, add it to the jar so that the nuts are completely covered with liquid. In a couple of months, when the liquor gets deep Ink color, add the remaining sugar syrup to the jar and hide it in a dark place for another month. On the day of the autumnal equinox, the nut liquor is filtered through 3 layers of gauze and bottled. Keep it in a cool dark place followed by a year, but often the bottles are uncorked already by Christmas.

Since the liquor from green walnuts is very strong, it is recommended to drink after eating, strongly chilled and small glasses or to dilute the nut liquor with water.

Fans of such unusual drinks are invited to try raspberry or mint liqueurs . They will certainly decorate your party or homemade meal.