What is "nocino"

n. A sticky Italian liqueur made from unripe green walnuts steeped in spirit.

Nocino is a sticky dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts. After steeping in spirit, the walnuts are removed and the now-black alcohol is mixed with simple syrup. Nocino has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade; villages and even individual families often have their own recipes, including different additions like cinnamon or clove. Nocino is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available Nocino is typically 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.

During the Middle Ages, Italian monasteries used nocino for its medicinal properties and also as an alcoholic treat.

Ordine del Nocino Modenese is an association of Spilamberto, Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy which, since 1978, promotes the traditional Nocino of Modena.

Nocino is also produced in New Zealand by NewZino, under the name "NutZino Walnut Liqueur" and in Australia by Timboon Railway Shed Distillery in Timboon, Victoria. A handful of craft distillers have started producing the liqueur in the United States, including Watershed Distillery (Columbus, Ohio), Wood Hat Spirits (New Florence, MO), and Skip Rock Distillers (Snohomish, Washington).

In Modena The Typical Walnut of Modena Roll of Tasters "Il Matraccio“ has for years been operating a no-profit company which aims to spread this product through the world’s first travelling school for Walnut of Modena tasters: "Nocinando". Furthermore, in collaboration with the municipality of Castelfranco Emilia, the association organizes "Nocinopoli" – The Nocino Town: a night in which everything is related to Nocino, the real star of the event. The event takes place in the heart of Castelfranco Emilia every third Wednesday of July: the main street Via Emilia, which as the other streets and squares of the city centre change their names, is closed to traffic to permit the stalls to expose high quality products of territory of Modena. Besides the inevitable Nocino (with all its derivatives), which acts as landlord, there are other products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, Prosciutto di Modena, Lambrusco, musk melon, Borlenghi, Ciacci, Crescentine and much more from other Italian provinces and regions invited for the occasion.