ve . ▁The ▁sp ices ▁are ▁added ▁light ly , ▁to ▁avoid ▁over power ing ▁the ▁flav our ▁of ▁the ▁wal n uts . ▁The ▁classic ▁base ▁consists ▁of ▁pure ▁alco hol ▁but ▁V od ka ▁can ▁also ▁be ▁used . ▁N oc ino ▁is ▁also ▁available ▁commer cially ▁in ▁bott led ▁form . ▁Com mer cially ▁available ▁n oc ino ▁is ▁typically ▁ 4 0 % ▁alco hol ▁by ▁volume , ▁or ▁ 8 0 ▁proof . ▁ ▁History ▁According ▁to ▁Roman ▁histor ians , ▁the ▁n oc ino ▁actually ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Britain . ▁The ▁earliest ▁records ▁are ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁P ict s ▁( from ▁the ▁Latin ▁p ict i , ▁meaning ▁painted ) ▁so ▁called ▁by ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁because ▁they ▁used ▁to ▁paint ▁their ▁skin ▁in ▁blue . ▁The ▁Rom ans ▁also ▁recorded ▁the ▁strange ▁trad itions ▁of ▁these ▁people ▁on ▁June ▁ 2 4 , ▁when ▁they ▁d rank ▁a ▁very ▁special ▁bre w , ▁and ▁they ▁said ▁they ▁could ▁talk ▁with ▁g ob l ins , ▁with ▁el ves ▁and ▁god d esses . ▁When ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁made ▁Christian ity ▁the ▁official ▁religion ▁of ▁the ▁Empire ▁( in ▁ 3 1 3 ▁AD ), ▁these ▁ancient ▁r ites , ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁surv ive , ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁" trans l ated " ▁into ▁the ▁tradition ▁of ▁the ▁Bible . ▁Thus , ▁they ▁became ▁associated ▁to ▁St . ▁John ▁the ▁Bapt ist , ▁who , ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁tradition , ▁was ▁born ▁on ▁the ▁Summer