Sunday 10 August 2008

Rules to live by


Rule 1: Taste it first.

You may remember back in June I was making nocino - green walnut liqueur. Well, this morning I decided to have a taste and see what progress we were making. It was quite promising - vodka had gone in, a luscious green syrup came out. But OH MY GOD is it filthy. For those of you who thought Benedictine was the lowest human taste in liqueurs could go, this is SO much worse. Really. Erk. It combined the paint-stripper quality of cheap liquor with an indefinable herbalness. Paul found it repeating on him for several hours. He may need reconstructive surgery. On the other hand, our drains are likely to be spotless and we may be arrested by MI5 for concocting chemical weapons.

And the problem is that never having tasted "proper" nocino I have NO idea whether I have done something wrong. Is this the flavour that generations of Italian grandmothers were seeking? Or did I just fuck it up somewhere along the line?

So - it isn't really rule number 1, rule number 1 is READ THE RECIPE THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH. But I've lost count, so this can be the new rule number 1 - find out if you like the taste first.

It's a lovely colour though.

11 comments:

HH said...

lol! Oh dear fc sounds awful! I will keep it as a rule to live by!

Just Cook It said...

Perhaps it will make a good cocktail ingredient...

Alicia Foodycat said...

I was thinking about that Alex - but I can't imagine what flavours would go with it. I'm a bit old for rocket fuel.

Laura Paterson said...

Lol - at least it looks pretty! I thought it was absinthe at first - now there's a drink to clear out the drains!! (Never heard of nocino!)

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'd forgotten about absinthe! I don't like aniseed so the only time I tasted absinthe I was not a fan!

kat said...

It is a pretty color but doesn't sound appetitizing at all!

Sonya said...

Maybe you've discovered something new and dangerous. It sounds worse than the roughest grappa!

Alicia Foodycat said...

It is worse than the roughest grappa I have tried! Maybe it will mellow to something delicious? I wonder how the medieval monks used to figure out their recipes? Do you think many people died tasting them?

Sarah said...

Too funny! It IS a lovely color, but the taste sounds pretty horrible!

Susan said...

Your reaction sounds like how I feel about Jagermeister, though I do normally like herbal elixirs.

It looks enchanting,though. A shame to have taken the time and effort. That's always a letdown.

Anne@GtSlamseysFarm said...

I made some in 2009 that is approaching drinkable. Sump oil is the best description until then. My recipe is here http://annewheaton.co.uk/2011/06/29/green-walnut-liqueur-recipe/ Is it anything like yours?

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