Turn Iced Coffee Into A Cocktail For National Iced Coffee Day
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While Americans are known to drink iced coffee on the coldest days of the year, June 20th is National Iced Coffee Day. We have three special recipe for you that add nocino (walnut liqueur) to either iced or hot coffee. Nocino (no-CHEE-no) is a nutty, sweet liqueur that is made from black walnuts that are green (i.e. unripe—photos #8 and #9), sugar and spices. It is released once a year following the harvest and distillation. The walnuts must be harvested prior to the nut forming (ripening) and before they fall from the tree, creating a narrow window of time to produce the liqueur. There’s more about the production of nocino below. For this featured recipe, nocino elevates iced coffee to an elegant cocktail or mocktail. The recipes follow, but first: > More uses for nocino/walnut liqueur, below. > The history of nocino, below. > The different types of coffee: a photo glossary. > The different espresso drinks. > The 25 annual coffee holidays. > National Walnut Day is May 17th. With any iced coffee, you can simply add a splash of nocino for an extra layer of complexity—and you may not need to add sugar. If you don’t already have a bottle of walnut liqueur, check out California green walnut liqueur also called nocino, its Italian name (photos #1, #7, #12). An ounce or two of the liqueur turns the iced coffee into a cocktail. Ingredients Per Drink 1. RIM the glasses. Moisten the rim of the glass with coffee or walnut liqueur, and twist it in a plate of the ground walnuts to coat. 2. ADD nocino to glass, then add the cold brew, leaving 1 inch or more of space for the whipped cream. 3. TOP with whipped cream. Optionally sprinkle with more walnuts. We were inspired to create this recipe by that delicious coffee cocktail, Irish Coffee. Instead of Irish whiskey, walnut liqueur. Tip: For a less sweet drink, don’t sweeten the whipped cream. Ingredients Per Drink 1. PREHEAT a clear-stemmed glass with very hot water. Add the sugar and brewed coffee and stir well until the sugar has melted. Then stir in the nocino. 2. GENTLY WHIP the heavy cream by shaking it in a blender bottle, a.k.a. with a protein shaker with blender ball. We love this shaker, for scrambled eggs, instant soups and drinks, etc. and mixes (Here’s our review). You want a still somewhat loose, not stiff consistency. (You can also achieve this with a hand mixer.) 3. POUR the cream over the back of a hot teaspoon to create the top layer of the drink, and prevent the cream from penetrating the coffee layer. 4. GARNISH with grated nutmeg or cinnamon. Instead of Irish whiskey, adapt the Irish Coffee recipe to Bourbon and nocino. With this recipe you can use store-bought aerosol whipped cream or make shaker whipped cream in a shaker tin or glass jar. If you’re making your own, pre-chill the tin or jar in the freezer or fridge. We don’t think adding a sweetener is necessary, except for those who love their drinks sweet. Taste after Step 1 to decide. 1. COMBINE the Bourbon, nocino, and coffee a mug (ideally glass), or Irish coffee glass. 2. TOP with whipped cream or use a chilled shaker tin or jar to shake the heavy whipping cream and regular or flavored simple syrup (do not shake with ice). When you reach the desired consistency, top the coffee. You can drink it sure—either a nip or a bit to after dinner coffee. Here are more ways that professional artisans and home artisans use nocino. Nocino is a liqueur with ancient roots. The use of green walnuts (photos #8 and #9) for medicinal or ritualistic purposes dates back to the Romans sometime during the 1st millennium B.C.E. (approximately the 8th century B.C.E. to the 1st century C.E.) Roman writers like Pliny the Elder (1st century C.E.) described walnuts in his Naturalis Historia as treatments for digestive issues, headaches, and poisons. Green walnuts were too bitter to eat raw. Instead, they were infused in wine or vinegar to make health tonics. Or, they could be boiled with honey and herbs to create a medicinal syrup. (See the difference between green walnuts and ripe walnuts below.) Nocino became popular in Northern Italy, especially in Emilia-Romagna and Modena, where monks produced herbal liqueurs for health and spiritual purposes. One religious occasion was (and is) the Feast of St. John, celebrating John The Baptist (San Giovanni in Italian). The unripe (green) walnuts were picked on or around June 24th, St. John’s birthday, and infused for 40 days or longer in neutral alcohol (like grappa or vodka) along with sugar and aromatics like cinnamon, clove, lemon zest, and/or vanilla. The nocino was then consumed on the second feast day, August 29th, commemorating St. John’s death. According to folklore, they nuts were gathered by barefoot virgins at midnight to harness their full potency. Nocino is considered a digestivo, to be sipped after meals, especially in winter. It is often homemade in Italian households, and if you have access to green walnuts (preferably the black walnut variety), you can make it with this recipe (photo #7). Italian nocino is overseen by a guild, the Ordine del Nocino Modenese, that preserves and promotes traditional recipes and techniques. Here’s their recipe for homemade nocino. France’s version of nocino is liqueur de noix verte, often flavored with additional herbs and citrus peel. Artisanal distilleries in the U.S. (like Watershed Distillery in Ohio) have revived interest in nocino as part of the craft cocktail movement. California, a state with excellent walnuts, has several artisanal producers crafting nocino (photo #10). Ask at your local liquor store or search online. And don’t forget the contingent of people who gather green walnuts from local trees make their own liqueurs as well as walnut bitters for use in artisanal cocktails. California walnuts are considered among the world’s best due to a unique combination of ideal climate, cultivation practices, and quality control standards that optimize both flavor and consistency. They’re known for their mild, buttery flavor, which lacks the bitter edge of walnuts from many other areas. They also have a pleasant crunch and high oil content (mostly heart-healthy omega-3s), which enhances their appeal. In fact, California produces 99% of U.S. walnuts and about 2/3 of the world’s export supply. While other regions produce excellent walnuts (e.g. China, France, Moldova), California walnuts dominate. |
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