Walnut Old Fashioned
A spirit-forward autumn riff on the Old Fashioned using Italian walnut liqueur and maple syrup to bring bittersweet depth and warm seasonal character.
- 1½ ozbourbon
- ½ ozwalnut liqueur
- ¼ ozmaple syrup
- 2 dashesangostura bitters
- Lemon peel, expressed over the glass.garnish
- 1Add bourbon, walnut liqueur, maple syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass.
- 2Fill with ice and stir gently for 20 to 30 seconds until well chilled.
- 3Strain into a rocks glass over a large sphere of ice.
- 4Express a lemon peel over the glass to release the oils, rub the peel around the rim, and discard.
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The Walnut Old Fashioned is a seasonal variation on the Old Fashioned cocktail, one of the oldest and most enduring cocktail formats, with roots dating to the early nineteenth century in the United States. The variation substitutes nocino — the traditional Italian walnut liqueur made from unripe green walnuts, spices, and grain spirit — for the standard sugar component, with maple syrup rounding out the sweetness. Nocino itself has ancient roots: the tradition of macerating green walnuts in alcohol predates the Roman era and was practiced across Celtic and later Italian cultures, with the Italian tradition centred in Emilia-Romagna. The Walnut Old Fashioned was featured in Imbibe Magazine's nocino cocktail feature and has appeared on craft bar menus across the United States during the fall and holiday season since the 2010s.
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Everything you need to make a great Walnut Old Fashioned at home.
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