Inside one of the city's favorite Italian-American restaurants, Don Angie, there are glass jars containing a diversity of fruits, herbs, spices, and some liquid of unknown origin in the kitchen. The colors range from bright yellow to deep brown chocolate. For Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, the primary owners of the restaurant, preparing digestifs like nocino, an Italian walnut liqueur that has existed for several centuries, is half preparing to serve the cocktail program and half a callback to numerous old traditions.
"I was drawn in by this thing only being available in a very brief window," Rito says about unripe green walnuts, the main constituent of the liqueur, which can be picked between mid-May and early July, depending on the weather.
They respect the practice of preparing nocino that started with the opening of Don Angie in 2017. Summer heats up in Chicago, and the two chefs are so eager to get off their feet in the kitchen that they go to a grocery store that sells green walnuts and submerge the exotic green fruits in overproof vodka spiced with cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, and coffee beans.
As soon as it is ready for consumption, most likely towards the festive period, the liqueur's taste is much appreciated amongst the festive foods of the season. "It does have a natural baking spice character to it. It is like having maple syrup with hot cakes. It has caramel and vanilla scents," explains Tacinelli.
Making nocino at home takes a good amount of time and effort, but more and more nocinos are finding their way into the markets in the U.S. Find one of the bottles suggested in this write-up and have a sip or two simply after a meal, on a single ice cube, or in Tacinelli and Rito's Nocino Sour. And don't be surprised if it finds a permanent place in your bar even in summer.
Forthave spirits black
An intense and bittersweet, yet very soothing, and finishing with a hint of smokiness, this nocino produced by the Brooklyn-based Forthave is available in small volumes. Should you manage to procure one of the exotic bottles, then do pour it on a scooped vanilla ice cream, or even better try it in an affogato.
Faccia brutto nocino
This allspice-forward bottle from a playful Italian aperitif line by chef Patrick Miller called Faccia Brutto uses walnuts that have been sourced from the Pacific Northwest, making it perfect to drink on its own.
Il mallo nocino liqueur
This original Nocino liquor made in Modena certainly will start your love affair with Nocino. It has distinct flavors of clove and is spiced with cinnamon and cardamom; Il Mallo is what curt drinkers imagine this digest exists for.
Nux alpina nocino walnut liqueur
On this one, Tacinelli and Rito believe this stout Austrian nocino is the closest in character to the one they make at home. Tacinelli says, "If someone is timid about it, I would put it on the rocks for a touch of dilution."