40 Days & 40 Nights - It's Biblical! Homemade Nocino

A thriving local tradition is making homemade liquor - from grappa infused with fruits & herbs, to visner & visciolino (cherry liquors), Nocino & many many more! (It could be because (we can find 97% - 100% pure alcohol at the hardware store here!) Whenever offered a homemade digestivo (after dinner drink) you must ablige! It is homemade & thus a gift from the house....sometimes a wonderfully tastey & delicious drink that you are beggin for more and othertimes...WOW! absolute firewater! (Please Note: the saying my Grandma always used "That'll put hair on your chest" - does NOT translate & no one thinks it is as funny as I do- trust me, I have tried this - animatedly describing hair growing out of my chest because the liquor is so strong and failling every time to stone sober faces more confused than ever.)


I am determined to learn! With the wonderful Mamma Mochi teaching me her age old recipes of making homemade liquors, I revel at the thought of serving up my own digestivi - knowing I made 'em from scratch!

The recipes are all very particular & usually their is a proper date to make them, normally based around a Saint's Day - weather permitting of course! This Nocino recipe for example must be made in a 2 week window based on the size of the young green nut & MUST sit in the sun & stirred for 40 days, then brought in to sit in the dark for another 30 days!

Nocino
(little walnuts)

25 green young walnuts
1 kilo (or just a bit less) of sugar
1 liter of pure alcohol
250 grams of water
stick of vanilla
stick of cinnamon
5 -7 cloves

Mix together well.

Let sit in sun for 40 days - stirring & mixing the sugar


Then let sit for another month in cool dark storage.


Filter & bottle.
You can let the nocino age if you would like - some prefer to drink immediately & those shelf the bottle for 2 years or more!

Check back as I will post a recipe for Visciolino a cherry liquor soon!