DIY Falernum

Having come up seriously lacking in my search for commercial falernum I turned to my circle of cocktail enthusiasts and found a number of great recipes.  In looking at a few I decided on Rick’s recipe.  But why, you ask, did I choose the Kaiser’s recipe over the others.  Well, first it’s dirt simple.  I like simple.  Especially when I’m taking a first stab at something like this.  Since the ingredient list is short I’ll be able to discern what I like and dislike about the recipe and tweak it to meet my palate.  Second, I liked Rick’s comments on the use of fresh juice in falernum.  Since I’m not likely to use it all over the next week I wouldn’t want it to get funky as the juice goes south.  Finally, as Doug echoed Rick has this nicest looking falernum in process.  You’ll note this post doesn’t include any pictures of my own.  Well, that’s cause it’s not a gorgeous ingredient, but it is damn tasty.  Now for a recipe.

Falernum (Rick of Kaiser Penguin)
8oz High Proof Rum (Wray and Nephew Overproof)
50 Cloves
1 Tbsp Whole Allspice
1 Nutmeg
8 Limes, zested
1/2 cups Julienned Ginger
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
10 Drops Almond Extract
1) Toast the cloves, allspice and nutmeg until they're fragrant
2) Combine the spices, rum, ginger, and lime zest
3) Cover and let steep for 24 hours
4) Warm sugar and water and stir until dissolved
5) Add almond extract
6) Strain spice mixture and add syrup

Now, I have to admit that for mine I didn’t toast the spices.  Not because I don’t think it’s a good plan, I simply noticed that I was supposed to toast them once they were already submerged in overproof rum.  Seemed like a bad time to introduce heat.  Next time I’ll definitely be toasting them.

So, what’s the verdict on this recipe?  I like it, but I don’t have a lot to compare it to at this point.  It’s spicy and tastes very tropical.  I’m definitely going to have to mix up some Tiki drinks to make full use of this new ingredient.  Once I’ve played around with some other drinks I’ll be ready to construct my own recipe.

If you’re interested in other recipes here are links to a few that I found in my poking around.


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2 responses to “DIY Falernum”

  1. […] blog Kaiser Penguin in the past.  Most recently I “borrowed” his recipe for falernum with great success.  Well, last week Rick announced a contest offering a signed copy of Beachbum […]

  2. […] falernum.  I used my homemade stuff, but you could easily use commercial offerings as well.  The only caveat to keep in mind is that […]