D.I.Y Falernum (Alcoholic)

Falernum is a spiced and citrus flavored sugar syrup that includes rum flavors if not actual rum. This recipe has rum and adds alcohol as well as flavor to tiki cocktails like the Calypso and Trade Winds.

For the home bartender, making your own falernum is a Jedi's making a lightsaber. It is the completion of training with lesser things and a sign that more difficult challenges are on the horizon. Once you make falernum, you can move on to spicing your own rum or making allspice dram.

I got this recipe from a guy I work with who's really into cocktails and may have already tried making falernum. It's here below:

• 1/2 cup 151-proof rum
• 1/2 cup aged rum (Mount Gay recommended)
• 20 cloves
• 5 allspice
• 4 anise stars
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest of 4 limes
• 1 oz. pealed ginger (1 tsp. powdered used)

Combine all ingredients in a seal-able jar and allow to steep for 24 hours.

Strain mixture through a coffee filter and add the following ingredients:
 

• 14 oz. simple syrup (demerara sugar used)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice

Shake and refrigerate.

NOTE: A couple of changes were made when I did this recipe, partly because of what I had on hand and also because of preference.

First, I didn't have fresh ginger, but dried ginger is fine as long as you don't use half as much as the fresh because it is stronger.

Second, there is something great about demerara sugar syrup. I wanted that raw cane sugar flavor in my falernum. Make it by heating a mixture of equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly reduced.

Finally, for the rums, I had Cruzan 151 rum, but not an aged rum that didn't have spices already added. For this used an unaged panela sugar rum that had a similar character. This worked really well, but Mount Gay is more widely available for most home bartenders.