The tincture is remembered for its rich dark color and bitter taste with hints of cinnamon and cloves, the sweetness can be adjusted to your liking, balancing the bitterness. Most green walnut tinctures are medicinal, but this is a drinking recipe for a good time.
We need walnuts of milky ripeness, in which the shell has not yet formed, such fruits are easily pierced with a toothpick to the middle. Also, there should be no blackening on the skin of the nuts. It is better to pluck the fruits immediately before cooking.
As an alcohol base, you can take vodka, double-distilled moonshine (odorless) or ethyl alcohol diluted to 40-45%. The optimal base is grape distillate, which is used in the Italian nocino nut liqueur. It is not advisable to take aged alcohol, since the nutty tones will still kill the notes of aging.
green walnut tincture recipe
Ingredients:
- green walnuts (milky ripeness) – 40 pieces (about 1,2 kg);
- vodka (moonshine, alcohol 40-45%) – 1 liter;
- cinnamon – 1 stick;
- cloves – 4 bud;
- sugar (preferably cane) – 100 g + to taste.
A small amount of sugar will soften the bitter taste of the tincture, if you add a lot, you get a liquor. Sugar can also be replaced with fresh buckwheat honey.
Preparation
1. Wash nuts and cut into 4-6 parts.
Attention! It is advisable to work in disposable gloves, otherwise a yellow tint will remain on the hands (green nuts contain a lot of iodine), which will be difficult to wash off.
2. Put the fruits in a glass jar for infusion. Add sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Pour in the alcohol base (alcohol should completely cover the nuts). Mix, seal tightly.
4. Leave for 60 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake once a week.
5. Strain the finished nut tincture through 2-3 layers of gauze, for transparency, you can additionally filter through cotton wool.
6. Taste the drink, sweeten with sugar or honey if desired. Pour into bottles for storage. Leave in the refrigerator or cellar for 4-5 days to stabilize the taste, optimally – for another 25-30 days for the full disclosure of organoleptic properties.
When stored in a place protected from direct sunlight, the shelf life of green walnut tincture is up to 3 years. Fortress – 32-34% vol.
