Nocino

San Giovanni, the Feast of St John and also Midsummer’s Day, is when walnuts are picked to make this traditional liqueur of the Modena region in Northern Italy. Suave, dark and mellow with a powerful undertow, my friend Angelo’s homemade version has legendary powers. He tells the story of a visiting businessman who took a bottle back to England. On a return visit, when the digestivos and amari were being offered, his face lit up ‘Ah, nocino!’ And could he have another bottl