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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: AJ Dual on June 20, 2012, 12:47:18 AM
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Whipped up a batch today. About 30 un-ripe black walnuts quartered. 1 L of 151 proof Everclear, a Vanilla bean, a clove, and the zest of an orange. It'll steep for two months, then I'll filter it, mix it with 1 L of simple syrup, and then it'll age in small corked bottles with waxed tops for a year.
That's a long time to wait to find out if it tastes like ass or not. [tinfoil]
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What's it for? Sipping, or mixed drinks?
Where'd you get the black walnuts? Store, or did you just raid a park around here (some of them have black walnut trees, last time I walked through). :police:
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That is a really interesting concoction. What does it taste like when its done?
Edit: The alcohol bug must be biting, I just started my first batch of wine tonight, have to wait till morning to pitch the yeast though.
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If that doesn't work...Nocello.
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LOVE Nocello!
I just can't see how those very green and unformed walnuts could have any walnut flavor. But I'm no naysayer, just in case it turns out awesome and AJ wants to send bottles out to us as Christmas gifts!
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What's it for? Sipping, or mixed drinks?
Where'd you get the black walnuts? Store, or did you just raid a park around here (some of them have black walnut trees, last time I walked through). :police:
Sipping as a Digestif/Apertif or could be used as a dessert sauce. Pouring some over ice cream is popular. I think the result is well, I don't know what... but with the color/consistency of Kahlua. And "whatever" it is, is probably somewhat more bitter like Jagermeister, but not in the licorice/anise sort of way. I'm not aware of any mixed drinks that use it.
The black walnuts are from my parent's yard. They have a few trees. And I was up in it's branches last weekend anyway replacing the ropes on the swings I've hung there for my kids to play on.
That is a really interesting concoction. What does it taste like when its done?
I've never had any, and no real idea. [tinfoil] However, everyone in Italy (with access to black walnuts) makes this, it's almost on par with Limoncello for popularity. Like alcohol and black walnuts I guess... =D
LOVE Nocello!
I just can't see how those very green and unformed walnuts could have any walnut flavor. But I'm no naysayer, just in case it turns out awesome and AJ wants to send bottles out to us as Christmas gifts!
Unripe black walnuts are incredibly bitter. Like chewing Tylenol-bitter, or stuff you spray to keep your dog from chewing the rug. However, when they're ripe, there's no way to cut them because the shells have formed. All the articles and recipes I read agreed on one point, that the walnuts had to be harvested at the end of May, and no later than the end of June, unless your climate meant the trees sprouted earlier, like in California. And I'm not sure that the "nut" itself is that big a part of the flavor. The pungent minty/juniper scent the fruits sort of have might be the base of the flavor. Dunno.
All I know is that this is the way it's done. And folks like it. And that it takes at least 4-5 months of aging after infusion before it's even remotely drinkable, (if you don't have a stock of it, the first taste is around Christmastime) a year being preferred. I guess the tannins or whatever other compounds that make it bitter break down.
This is really just a leap of faith because the recipe seemed easy, and I had access to free walnuts. =D
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All I know is that this is the way it's done. And folks like it.
One day I'll learn not to ask so many questions and just take things for what they are.
But likely not.
=D
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You can't get proper Everclear either, huh? (it's supposed to be 95% ethanol, not 75.5%) I thought that was just a Minnesota thing.
Note to self, buy some Everclear in Texas next month...
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You can't get proper Everclear either, huh? (it's supposed to be 95% ethanol, not 75.5%) I thought that was just a Minnesota thing.
Note to self, buy some Everclear in Texas next month...
Iowa is the same way, they outlawed 95% Everclear. I pick mine up in Missouri to make spirits and liqour.
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hrm... We can still get the 95% everclear here in OR... might have to go hunt down some unripe black walnuts.....
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You can't get proper Everclear either, huh? (it's supposed to be 95% ethanol, not 75.5%) I thought that was just a Minnesota thing.
Note to self, buy some Everclear in Texas next month...
I'm pretty sure WI has the 95%/190 proof Everclear in liquor stores. This was just a supermarket. I was originally looking for some 100 proof vodka, couldn't find any, because I was just going to put the sugar right in with the walnuts. Now the water/sugar will go in at the end to cut it down to about 100 proof right before bottling it.
I'm also tempted to use some local Maple syrup instead, to make it more "Wisconsin" in flavor/nature. But I'd need almost half a liter. Pricey... =|
ETA... it's already a nice black color, deepening by the day. Some people blogging about their Nocino efforts had green alcohol even after a few months. The trick is to either use a lid that isn't 100% airtight, but still tight enough to prevent the alcohol from evaporating, or if it's air tight, lift the lid every few days to get some air exchange, so O2 gets in and turns it black.
The same mechanism that stains concrete or even light colored car finishes if you're unlucky enough to have a black walnut tree by a driveway. :-X
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Interesting. This is now what I expected upon reading black walnut liquor. I've been told that if you soak those green walnuts in water and pour it over the ground it's a good way to round up worms. Your method seems better for killing 'em in your GI tract.
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Thanks for the inspiration, AJ.
Now I have a bottle of 190-proof Everclear (Yes, it's readily available here in WI), and a bunch of green walnuts sitting on my kitchen counter.
This, of course, after Googling "Nocino" and seeing how easy the recipe is.
I just have to decide on what additional spices to add to the mix for the steeping process. =D
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I didn't care for the bottle of Nocello I bought. Thin texture for a sweet liqueur, and an off, chemical flavor. I like the concept, just not the execution. I prefer Frangelico overall.
That said, the homebrew concept is intriguing.
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Interesting. This is now what I expected upon reading black walnut liquor. I've been told that if you soak those green walnuts in water and pour it over the ground it's a good way to round up worms. Your method seems better for killing 'em in your GI tract.
Well, you never know. I may well be using it as an insecticide after a year of aging is up. :rofl:
Thanks for the inspiration, AJ.
Now I have a bottle of 190-proof Everclear (Yes, it's readily available here in WI), and a bunch of green walnuts sitting on my kitchen counter.
This, of course, after Googling "Nocino" and seeing how easy the recipe is.
I just have to decide on what additional spices to add to the mix for the steeping process. =D
I guess the big thing with the spices is not too much, or it overpowers the black walnut flavor easily. Never having tried Nocino before, I'm still not sure just what the "black walnut flavor" IS, is it actual "nuts" or is the the weird-but-good medicinal smell of the green fruits surrounding the immature nuts? I'm not worried about the vanilla bean, but I read lots of advice not to use more than 2-3 cloves max.
I've seen some folks who didn't get a good dark black color to the infusion, a light urine shade, or worse, a murky forest green. So what I do know is that lifting the lid every few days to get some O2 in there is a good thing. Right now everything in there, the orange zest is overpowering. Although I still have faith the character of it will change over the course of a year. Mine's so black I can barely see the nuts/fruits pressed up against the glass. Too much? Too soon? Too dark?
Who knows? =D
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I didn't care for the bottle of Nocello I bought. Thin texture for a sweet liqueur, and an off, chemical flavor. I like the concept, just not the execution. I prefer Frangelico overall.
That said, the homebrew concept is intriguing.
I like Nocello. Do you need my address?
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I like Nocello. Do you need my address?
I never said I didn't finish it. ;)
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Ah! Good man!
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Just like AJ, I'm a firm believer in "Better Living Through Chemistry".
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Thank you, my Celt and Druid friends! Hopefully they'll all combine to make something drinkable around New Years...
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Holy Cow, AJ!
That stuff turns black darned quick!!! :O
(And I've tasted it. Granted, it's still at 190 proof, but it tastes like.... Christmas!) =D
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Interesting on two counts. Back in my younger days when I drank Everclear (and lived in AZ) they only sold the 190 proof version in the smaller bottles, and the 750ml bottles were always the lower proof stuff. Also interesting in that I am wondering where I can find some unripe black walnuts, and if it's too late to get started...
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Well... it's got another 4 weeks to soak. If it doesn't turn out, I think it's got potential as ink...
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Or dying everything you own a dark color for nighttime stalking.
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It is already changing. It smells pretty good now when I open it. The orange note from the zest is still overwhelming, but I can smell some complexity underneath that.
It's giving me some hope it'll actually taste good after the syrup goes in and it ages for a year.
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So I finally decided to give this a shot..... Had my cousin who owns an orchard/nut farm down in NorCal ship me some green walnuts.... Well, the lovely USPS somehow thinks that to ship a package from Chico, CA to Milwaukie, OR, it somehow needs to make a detour from Portland, OR to Brockton, MA.....
*facepalm*
New batch of walnuts being shipped tomorrow..... Stupid post office...
And before anyone says anything:
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We never did get a quality report from the original witches brew.
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Mine is good. A bit too sweet on the first attempt but not so much it ruined it, I could have cut the simple syrup down, but otherwise it's a good nutty liqueur kind of in the Frangelico neighborhood. The orange zest, clove, vanilla, and cinnamon stick did well, and don't overpower the main walnut flavor.
The whole ground up Christmas Tree air-freshener quality is completely gone. Zero bitterness. I guess it all turns into "nut" flavor. =D
It's great over vanilla ice cream.
Four years later, I still have a lifetime supply.
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Can it be used as deck stain in a pinch? :O
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This must be the day for asking about "make your own flavored hooch."
I asked about Limoncello in another thread.
This stuff looks interesting, but I'd never try it. I'm severely allergic to walnuts, and I doubt if soaking in grain alcohol would change that for me.
Oh crap, I didn't realize that this thread started so long ago...
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Can it be used as deck stain in a pinch? :O
The original maceration could, but now it's about like dark maple syrup.
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Can it be used as deck stain in a pinch? :O
or ink [popcorn]
And the 151proof everclear is an ABC thing, *expletive deleted* revenuers. :old:
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Hrm.... I just realized that I got the wrong everclear.....
Instead of 151 proof..... I got 190 proof. Yup. 95% EtOH.....
Which means cutting this with simple syrup 1:1 will yield a 95 proof nocino......
Might need to think about adding a little more filtered water to it to take the proof down a touch - but I'll taste test it after it ages to see if we need to do that.
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Wow...
Talk about first world problems...
:rofl:
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Hrm.... I just realized that I got the wrong everclear.....
Instead of 151 proof..... I got 190 proof. Yup. 95% EtOH.....
Which means cutting this with simple syrup 1:1 will yield a 95 proof nocino......
Might need to think about adding a little more filtered water to it to take the proof down a touch - but I'll taste test it after it ages to see if we need to do that.
I fail to see the problem here. =D
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I made some on Monday. I used a entire vanilla bean, and 5/8 of a entire orange rind, along with 3 cloves. I had my son and his friend harvest walnuts from the black walnut tree in my backyard. I used 80 Proof New Amsterdam Vodka, simply because I did want the overpowering taste of alcohol to ruin the botanicals. I
And it's already as black as my soul.
(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13585038_10207980703692699_9006020545867512153_o.jpg)
BTW, one warning it you attempt to do this. Wear gloves and put down newspaper or something. Anything the walnuts touch as you cut them and put them in the jar will turn black and leave a stain.
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One interesting thing I noticed as it sits.... There's a thin layer of oil forming on the very top of the alcohol. I gently shake the bottles every day, but it really doesn't take long for that layer to reform.
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Perfectly natural.
Walnuts are, like all nuts, quite oily.
The alcohol helps liberate it.
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Also, don't be afraid to periodically open the container the walnuts are macerating in. Oxygen is important to getting the chemicals to change over to the "nut flavor".
And it's fun to be horrified in the "Dear God... what have I DONE?" sort of way, when you smell something that reeks of off brand dollar store car air-freshener. =D
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And it's fun to be horrified in the "Dear God... what have I DONE?" sort of way, when you smell something that reeks of off brand dollar store car air-freshener. =D
That's my son's bathroom after he's done taking a shower.
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So I'm coming up on 1 month steeping.... getting ready to cut w/ simple syrup and bottle....
For your simple syrup, did you just go 1:1 sugar/water? or a different ratio?
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All the recipes I've found for Limoncello call for a 1 to 1 ratio, which is the classic simple sugar solution.
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Ooooooppppsss.
Guess what I discovered when I was downstairs doing laundry. The glass jar of Nocino I had started back on 30 Jun.* Needless to say its smell was quite potent. Like if you were sucking on a car air freshener. So after straining through two handi-wipes and a strainer, I ended up with right at 600ml of liquid. (I started off with 750ml of Vodka). So I mixed up 3 cups of simple syrup and dumped everything into a new sealed jar, and put it in the same spot in the basement. Initial taste test was surprisingly good. A little strong, but I think it mellow over time. So far, I'm happy with the results.
*- Depending on the recipe, they say to steep for 2-4 months, so I'm not that far outside the acceptable range.
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My Limoncello is still steeping but is smelling fantastic.
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This was back in july - simple syrup went in first, then the nocino, giving us a perfect example of the difference in density/viscosity of two fluids.
I then gently tipped the bottles back and forth to mix and sealed with wax, been sitting in a box above the kitchen cabinet since then.
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So my nocino experiment continues... Decided to open a bottle for a taste test. It's currently at about 9 months old, and while good, it's still a touch too young. There's a very slight bitter aftertaste that I hope will fade the rest of the way out as it finishes aging. That 95 proof definitely has a nice burn to it that hits you right in the back of the throat. But overall it has a nice flavor, and the extra alcohol balances the sweetness nicely.
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Probably too much simple syrup in mine, but I'm sick of my now well-aged batch. It's cloying and getting to be like swigging a McCormick extract flavoring. It's still very good over plain vanilla ice cream though.
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I finally got around to working up my Limoncello. It's not bad. The vodka I chose is a bit... harsh. Next batch I'll need to take care of that. And, I think more lemons.
It's a really nice add to iced tea or lemonade, though.
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I finally got around to working up my Limoncello. It's not bad. The vodka I chose is a bit... harsh. Next batch I'll need to take care of that. And, I think more lemons.
It's a really nice add to iced tea or lemonade, though.
Might try my hand at making up a batch of that tonight..... Recipe I found actually encouraged you to use the high proof (190) everclear...
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Apparently the higher the proof the smoother the finished product.
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Oh Crap. I have some Limoncello still aging in the basement. Next to the Nocino. I need to check on them.
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So I may be rushing my limoncello... But the highest rated recipe I found said to steep the lemon zest until it turned white, up to 40 days... But since I used a microplane to zest my lemons, they were white and brittle after just 6 days... So I'm gonna give it a go... Just strained out my zest, and the simple syrup is cooling now... Will bung it all together in a two quart bottle once it's cooled and sit it up next to the nocino to age...
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I'll actually be curious how it turns out, since it calls for a 1:1:1 ratio v/v/w of alcohol, water, and sugar... So hopefully it's not cloyingly sweet....
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So I put a couple ounces in the freezer to do a taste test (and to make it fit in the jar).... *cough* [croak] smooooooth......
Actually, I think it's got a lot of potential... No bitterness, strong lemon flavor, just the whole thing tastes raw.... Strong lemon, strong alcohol, and strong sugar flavors... I'll report back in about 40 days... Flavors should be nicely blended and mellowed out into something enjoyable....
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Mine is still kind of harsh. I think, however, that there's a certain factor of it being the alcohol I chose.
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I'm impatient on the limoncello... Did another taste test today. Definite improvement over last week. Still really alcohol forward, but much smoother than the first go round. The lemon is still really potent, but it's more like a sweet boozy lemonade than syrup and lemon pledge.
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How long has it been sitting?
You need at least 40 to 60 days on steeping time for it to extract all the goodness from the lemon peel and for it to mellow.
It's going to be sweet, too. You can control that with the amount of simple syrup you add.
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Oh, holy hell.
Both the nocino and the limoncello are absolutely gorgeously delicious....
and POTENT..... They're both about 95 proof.... so you definitely feel them.... But straight out of the freezer, you hardly taste the booze. so it's pretty easy to get a little carried away.
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Nice.
Next time I make mine, I really need to use a much higher proof alcohol. It's good, but the lower proof vodka gives it harsh edges.
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Nice.
Next time I make mine, I really need to use a much higher proof alcohol. It's good, but the lower proof vodka gives it harsh edges.
Yeah. I'm glad I went with the 190 proof everclear. It really just gives a clean flavor profile, and I think the higher alcohol content helps to extract all the goodness out of the lemon zest pretty quickly to boot. That, and the fact that I used a microplane to zest the lemon meant there was a *LOT* of surface area vs. the volume of the zest. It really only took about a week to get to the point where the zest had turned white and brittle (the endpoint I was told to look for in the recipe I used). It aged for about 40-45 days and if it lasts that long will continue to get better :) .
The nocino took the full year to really age, but it's now also nice and smooth. Nice walnut flavor, no harsh bitternes, and blacker than Amy Schumer's soul... :D