St. John’s Night

We are approaching the night of St. John’s Day, which falls between
June 23 and 24, the magical night to begin the preparation of Nocino.

According to ancient Italic tradition, nocino should be prepared by an experienced woman. She should climb barefoot on the walnut tree during the night of St. John’s Day and pick the precious fruits with her bare hands, without using sorte tools that could spoil the fruits and disperse their precious properties. The liquor made from the hulls of walnuts (strictly odd) was able, according to local beliefs, to bring health, well-being and wealth.

Not to mention the magical properties of nocino, in fact, it is said that as early as the 6th century AD, the day when unripe walnuts were harvested “the witches, at the head of whom was Diana, swarmed by the thousands into the skies on their way to the great sabbath held under the walnut tree of Benevento.”

Thus, the walnut was a tree related to the female world and to witches in particular. And thanks to the “witch tree,” it was possible to prepare a “magical” mixture made of unripe walnuts, prepared by women and known to ward off the evils that afflicted the rural populations of times past.

The unripe walnut husks macerated in spirit (alcohol) produced an alcoholic extract with numerous medicinal properties: it was digestive, anti-parasitic, eradicated fungi, bacteria and viruses, and killed intestinal worms (including tapeworm); and it is easy to understand how until the Middle Ages that drink, rich in tannins and with virtues so valuable for health could be considered as a “miraculous” mixture worthy of crossing the centuries through the transmission of family recipes from generation to generation.

Perpetuating legends and traditions, we offer you some of our Nocini, always special and even a bit magical !

Noos Nocino – Manifattura Branchi

Nocino Nostrano Ticinese – Fratelli Corti

Nocino Ticinese – NOCÌ – Gialdi Wines

Nocino Ratafià del Ticino – Tamborini Wines

The Nocino, and the fame you didn’t expect

The lagAlpi shop hosts various drinks with an important reputation. Absinthe, Damassine, Genepì, are all illustrious guests of the fervent alpine imagination, which certainly does not lack imagination. If naming these drinks immediately recalls the history they carry, the association isn’t so immediate when it comes to the Nocino. Yet, this historic liqueur has a lot to tell us, you just need to know how to listen …

The Nocino, properties & uses

The nocino’s a dark-colored and dense-looking liqueur. It can be served at the end of a meal as a digestive and is used by many as a tonic and as a remedy for liver aliments.

To tell the truth, the use of walnut husk as an ingredient for medicines or liqueurs dates back to ancient times. And today, there are many applications that see the nocino protagonist of treatments purify the liver and antiparasitics. The tannins naturally contained in this digestive help digest proteins, kill bacteria and parasite.

The myth of San Giovanni

It’s incredible to believe, but the feast of St. John’s Day ( June 24), numerous legends bordering on the sacrilegious are linked, and one in particular-the one we are interested in now-is the one that has witches gathered around a walnut tree in a mysterious propitiatory dance.

In fact, the Walnut is a tree with a not exactly good-natured reputation. In fact, the Walnut is a tree with a not exactly good-natured reputation. Of him, among other things, it is said that the cross of Jesus was made, while Dionysus, blinded by anger, chose his features for the sad fate of his beloved Caria (we have already talked about this fame in another article dedicated to walnut oil, which you can find here).

It is therefore no coincidence that the witches collect the branches for their magical rituals, while the hulls, which in the shortest night of the year are still unripe, are collected by them to ensure vitality to the plant.

This is where the legend that binds Nocino to the night of San Giovanni was born. It’s precise during the night between 23 and 24 June that the woman judged to be the most skilled in the preparation of the digestive (or, in other versions, a virgin) will have to climb the walnut tree, barefoot, to collect the still unripe fruits.

Does this seem like a slightly complicated way to make a liqueur? If so, you must recognize that our producer Manifattura Branchihas no shortage of courage. Its Noos, in fact, is produced exactly according to tradition, and with every sip, you can savor the mystical energy of the shortest night of the year …

The origins of nocino and the myth of Picti

But where does Nocino come from? So far be it from us wanting to do the work of professional historians, it is nevertheless fascinating to take for granted the story that tells of the strange encounter that Julius Caesar‘s soldiers had in Gaul …

Here, in the origin of the legend according to which the Walnut tree was the twitches’ tree, the Roman soldiers found themselves faced with disturbing warriors who, to scare their enemies, dyed their faces with a greenish-brown paste. It was a tincture made from unripe nuts. This strange concoction of nuts, honey, and other fermented fruit was then drunk by the fearsome roosters, which in this way took the courage necessary to enrage the battle.

It seems that such a concoction is the distant ancestor of nocino and that these fearsome and ruthless adversaries are its first producers. The Romans called them “Picti,” that is, paintings, precisely because of their faces marked by … nocino!

The Ratafià, to seal agreements and pacts

Many of you will also know nocino as Ratafià. In fact, in many places, especially in northern Italy and Italian Switzerland, this is the official name of the walnut liqueur, while the term nocino has appeared more recently. This is also evidenced by the materials collected for the Vocabulary of the dialects of Italian Switzerland (circa 1920). The description of this walnut liqueur is found only under the heading ratafià. This term indicates various liqueurs obtained from fruit, alcohol, sugar, and substances aromatic and widespread in the Mediterranean area.

But why “ratafià”? It was an ancient tradition to consume a solid alcoholic beverage to seal a pact or agreement. The etymology is traced back to the Latin rato fieri used by ecclesiastical writers, which means “to be ratified”. Hence the fiat installment, rata fiat: ““that it is ratified.”

The Ratafià del Ticino of our producer Tamborini takes inspiration from this fascinating tradition Ratafià of Ticino from our producer Tamborini whose secret recipe seems to come directly from a certain Father Gaucher of the monastery of Santa Maria dei Frati Cappuccini in Bigorio sopra Tesserete, who has been producing this tasty liqueur since time immemorial of walnuts.

Genepì, the liquor “able to make a bomb digest”

Word of De Amicis, who in 1883 wrote about it in his “Alle Porte di Italia.” Genepì has immense fame and has been known since ancient times for its numerous properties, from anti-inflammatory to … aphrodisiac

There are few plants with such a cumbersome reputation. Nevertheless, a myriad of properties has been attributed to that of the genepì, which takes its name from a generic French term for aromatic mountain herbs. The best known is the digestive, so much so that De Amicis, after having tried the liqueur, wrote in his Alle porte di Italia, that “it would make a boiled bomb digest”. But also anti-inflammatory, relaxing, gastroprotective, healing, and disinfectant. But let’s take a closer look at this miraculous herb, from which one of the most famous liqueurs in the Alps is produced.

Origins and Parentals

Although there is some confusion regarding the terminology of the helpful variant for producing the liqueur, the most accredited isArtemisia genepi. This is the “male” genepì, distinguished from the other types by its undoubted aroma, much more pronounced, and by the arrangement of the flower heads, which take on the typical appearance of a compact, gray-yellow spike. In addition, this variety has the highest concentration of active ingredients, which perform a decisive neurotoxic action on the digestive tract in humans.

For some, the name is given by the Greek term artémes, meaning healthy, thanks to the numerous medicinal properties possessed by this plant,; while for others, it derives from the goddess Artemis, a Greek goddess who protected wild animals into the forest. The beneficial virtues of this plant are not only useful for humans. The chamois, for example, know the Genepì very well, and they graze it to heal from numerous ailments.

In all cases, few catch the assonance with another famous alpine herb: absinthe, or even Artemisia absinthium, also belonging to the Artemisia genus, and it is no coincidence that it is equally renowned for its thousand virtues.

The Genepi plant, protected species

Due to its fame, mainly since the 18th century, genepì herb has been widely used to create decoctions, liqueurs, infusions, ointments, and so on. Unfortunately, although the preparations were used to cure numerous ailments, this practice caused the impoverishment of the species, which risked extinction by convincing the authorities to declare it a protected species.

The Genepì grows in excellent conditions, sprouting between rocky peaks that reach up to 3,000 meters, in the rubble, on the morainic soils, at the foot of the glaciers, braving the frost in its stubborn resistance to winter as a perennial species.

Today, the Genepì used for the liqueur, therefore, derives from crops scattered cultivation throughout the Alps, mainly located at lower altitudes (1900-2000 m asl) than the habitat where it grows spontaneously (2.200-3.000 m asl).

The thousand legends of Genepì

An old Valais saying says that the Genepì “fait du bien à madame quand monsieur le boit”. Although there are no scientific studies about it, its energizing and invigorating properties are perceptible with every sip.

Beyond his disgetive power, the Genepì has been believed responsible, over the centuries, for the most disparate effects. An astonished Rousseau, for example, on his Les confessions, describes the death of the poor gardener Claude Anet, who, having cooled down after climbing along the alpine slopes just to collect the rare plant, contracted lethal pleurisy that not even the genepì could cure.

More scientific are the observations of the Turin botanist Carlo Allioni who, in his Rariorum Pedemontii Stirpium of 1755, thus extolled its virtues: “alpine wormwood, called by the alpine people by the term Genepi, serves many ailments and, by promoting sweating, our physicians use it successfully in all those who need sweating exhalation“.

Better cold-like aperitivo, straight like a disgestive, or hot?

So, how to drink the legendary Genepì? His uses of him are truly varied. It can be taken straight, as a tonic and digestive,, on the rocks or with seltzer to enjoy it and quench your thirst fully, or hot, prepared as a grog, for an energetic and invigorating effect.

But also, as a cocktail it doesn’t fail to amaze. A favorite in pre dinners and after dinners, Genepì lends itself as a unique flavoring for long drinks.

Finally, let’s not forget its use in the kitchen to prepare tasty first courses and fantastic desserts.

By the way, if you want to have some precise recipes, don’t forget to follow our blog: they’ll be coming soon!

The genepì in our producers proposal

If this article has piqued your curiosity and you can’t wait to try some Genepì-based preparations, we have good news. In our shop, you will find two exceptional products, excellent for fully savoring the famous alpine grass.

The first is the classic and infamous liqueur Genepì from the Rostal company. It is a top-quality product based on the homonymous herb grown in organic form, of which a small stem is present, as a graceful ornament but above all as a flavoring, in the bottle itself.

The genepì plant is not very productive, and still, there are no varieties capable of guaranteeing a constant yield. All this did not discourage Gaston Haenni (the founder of the company and father of the current owner Fabrice), who threw himself into this adventure, becoming partly responsible for the recent rediscovery of this mythical liqueur even in the new generations. A winning choice, which also earned him the prestigious Prix d’innovation agricole suisse.

Another exciting and particular product is the Gin Genepi from the Valais company o2Vie. It’s a Gin with a distinctive and decisive flavor. All the ingredients and, in particular, the legendary genepì of the Alps blend give a subtle and balanced character. Distilled in the traditional alembic, the alcohol content is brought to 45 degrees to enhance its aroma.

he Corniolo, when clothes do not make the man

For the contemporary walker, the Corniolo is a pretty little tree found in the glades of the pre-Alps.. It is well known for its sweet and sour berries, a source of antioxidants used to make delicious liqueurs.. Yet, the Corniolo is “complicit” in one of the least cheerful tales in Western history.

The Corniolo tree, with its sweet and sour berries known to be a precious source of antioxidants, has a cheerful appearance: not very tall, it stains the edge of the pre-Alps with its spring yellows and autumn reds. Seen like this, it’s hard to imagine what it has to tell us.

No Iliad without the Cornolio

Persians, Greeks and Romans used its smooth and compact wood to make javelin shafts, spears and arrows. It is a material that the Hellenes, lurking under the walls of Troy in the vague presentiment of having to abandon the enterprise, were very familiar. And when the ingenious idea of Ulysses spread among the camp, the eye of the soldiers fell o at once upon the expanse of Corniolo trees which covered the Mount Ida. Although it was sacred to Apollo, the wood of that small red-berry tree had to be theirs, as soon as possible. In order to conquer Troy, the Greeks had to work it, polish it, and shape it into the most famous deception in Western history. And when at last it was introduced into the Trojan walls, the horse sent forth reddish gleams which were a warning solely to Cassandra.

The grisly encounter with Aeneas

But the tale of the Corniolo isn’t yet over. It also affects another famous protagonist: Aeneas. For when, years after his flight from Troy, the hero landed in Thrace, he came upon its smooth wood. He needed its branches to cover an altar, now haunted by an obsession to gain the favor of the gods. But as soon as he plucked the first twig, a black stain of blood opened up on the dusty ground. Incredulous, he continued to tear, and a groan rose from the ground. It was the voice of one of his countryman, the voice of Polidoro. Sent by his father Priam to Thrace during the raging battle, King Polymestone betrayed his innocence and his father’s friendship: he killed him to get the gold he had brought with him, even denying him a proper burial. But as often happens in myths in the presence of such heinous injustices, nature takes over. The arrows that struck Polidoro’s young body turned into the twigs of the Corniolo tree that Aeneas, unaware, had torn off, and the body remained trapped in the world of the living under the cheerful robes of the tree itself: the horrible image of human life deprived of its will, from which Dante took inspiration for the forest of suicides in the seventh circle of Hell.

From the Greeks to the present day, the Cornelian becomes Cornà

But for the unsuspecting contemporary walker, to whom the imposing tones of the Greek tragedy perhaps come only come as echoes of hidden scholastic teachings, the Corniolo remains a graceful sapling happily spread over the broadleaf glades of the Prealps, where it grows tenaciously and quite independently. Far from the imaginary world to which it was destined by the Greek and Latin poets, it grows wild in Mesolcina, where the Boldini winery collects the precious vitamin-rich berries to macerate them in grappa and obtain the sweet-and-sour red Cornà.

To get a taste of its full story, click here.

The mysticism of the Elder, now available … even when alive!

The Elderberry plant inspired legends that have their roots in ancient times. Its white flowers fruits are used to producedelicious drinks.. But st one time, its production was reserved for funeral rites.

If there is one plant that naturally exudes an aura of sacredness around it, it is the Elderberry. Its innocent white flowers can be found during a spring walk along a stream that murmurs as it descends into the valley. With its large, voluminous foliage, its smooth, light wood, and that black, shiny berry with its purple stem, the Elderberry enraptures our imagination, taking us back to ancient times when nature was at one with man, who had a deep, sacred respect for it. Times in which the Elder tree, among the many that inspired terrible superstitions, instead showed its kind face to passers-by who believed, like us on a spring day, in the vivid testimony that the beauty of nature offers.

The Elder, “gentle tree”

The Elder has inspired so many legends and popular beliefs that it would be impossible to describe them all in a few lines. Howerver, it can be said that it remains a gentle tree, friend of men and animals. It was planted to encourage fertility, never mistreated as a protector from evil spirits, used in Christian funeral rites as viaticum for the afterlife. The playing of the flute, as ancient as it was poor, wanted to empty the pith of the wood, replacing it with a slightly longer branch and a hemp ball, making a flute whose sound thwarted the spells, just like in Mozart’s Magic Flute by Mozart.

The legend of Frau Holda

A lover of the lake lands, in the Germanic tradition he gave birth to the legend of Frau Holda, a beautiful golden-haired woman patroness of childbirth, domestic animals and winter, a benign spirit who makes her appearance at the springs, lakes and crystal-clear streams that dot the Alpine and pre-Alpine territory. Even today, in some German-speaking village where grandparents tell their stories to their grandchildren, at the sight of snowflakes that slowly descend from the sky, while someone exclaims “Frau Holle is making the bed!”.

A pleasure also … “land”

These are stories that made the Elderberry one of the most fascinating protagonists of the Alpine tradition and beyond. But of this gentle tree that has survived almost intact to the present day. In fact, a few years ago some archaeological excavations located between northern Italy and Switzerland unearthed large quantities of Elderberry seeds dating back to the Copper Age, which, according to experts, were used to produce strong fermented drinks. Their consumption, however, apparently was not reserved for the living. They were in fact laid beside the deceased, whose passage to the afterlife was supposed to be made more “pleasant” precisely by the consumption of the drink.

Having survived to this day, we find all the mysticism of Elderberry in the persuasive color of Violet, the liqueur of Boldini winery obtained from the skilful maceration in grappa of the ripe fruits of 100% Grison Elderberry. A sensory experience that, thanks to the heavens and the Boldini winery, can be enjoyed without having to pass away …

… if you’re feeling inspired and want to taste Violet, click here