Falernum

Interesting recipe at Slashfood, along with excellent background information. Recipe below, but read the post.

I use Paul Clarke’s outstanding recipe from his site The Cocktail Chronicles as a launching point, of which I will quote verbatim:

• 6 ounces Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum
• zest of 9 medium limes, removed with a microplane grater or sharp vegetable peeler, with no traces of white pith
• 40 whole cloves (buy fresh ones – not the cloves that have been in your spice rack since last Christmas)
• 1 1/2 ounce, by weight, peeled, julienned fresh ginger

Combine these ingredients in a jar and seal, letting the mixture soak for 24 hours. Then, strain through moistened cheesecloth, squeezing the solids to extract the last, flavorful bits of liquid.

Add:

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract*
• 14 ounces cold process 2:1 simple syrup (two parts sugar to one part water, shaken in a jar or bottle WITHOUT HEAT until all the sugar is dissolved)
• 4 1/2 ounces fresh, strained lime juice

Shake it all together and serve.

My variation adds 20 allspice berries to the soak (which I increase to about 3-4 days) and also add a couple drops of vanilla extract for good measure. For another variation, Craig Hermann (who also snapped the above picture) over at Tiki Drinks & Indigo Firmaments publishes his experiments in four parts.

And, to use it:

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail, an early tiki drink by Trader Vic.

2 ounces of dark or gold rum
3/4 ounces of fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce of your freshly made falernum

Shake, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime zest.

Here are five more recipes you can use with your new falernum:
The White Lion
Port Antonio Cocktail
Test Pilot
Clermont Smash
Chartreuse Swizzle