Chuck's Notes

Ginger Liqueur

Tastes like Domaine de Canton. Delicious. Used in the tiki cocktail Yule Log Grog.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces ginger root (I used dried, fresh will work too)
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 1/2 cups rum (I used Mount Gay Eclipse)

Boil the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water for 10 minutes, then let cool and put into a jar to sit for 2-3 days. Double strain and bottle!

Original source: Serious Eats. I’ve modified the recipe.

Allspice Dram

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup allspice berries
• 2 1/2 cups navy-strength rum
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 cinnamon stick

Toast and crush allspice berries, then soak in rum for two weeks. Mix with simple syrup (1:1) made with brown sugar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon.

Original source: Alton Brown. I’ve modified the recipe.

Falernum

Paul Clarke’s Falernum number 10: https://thelosttikilounge.com/ingredients/falernum-guide/

• 6 oz Overproof White Rum – Wray & Nephew recommended
• 9 Limes, zested – preferably organic
• 40 Cloves, toasted – buy a new pack – don’t use the ones from last Christmas!
• 2 tbsp Blanched Slivered Almonds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 oz Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced or julienned
• 14 oz Rich Simple Syrup – 2:1 ratio, cold preparation

Method

• Zest the limes with a microplane grater, zester or vegetable peeler, making sure to leave all the white pith behind. And watch those knuckles! Adding human flesh really won’t enhance the flavour.
• Toast the cloves in a dry pan over a medium heat, shaking frequently, just until they begin to become aromatic, then remove from the heat.
• Toast the almonds, shaking frequently, until they begin to turn light brown, then remove from the heat.
• Peel the ginger and either slice it into thin batons or julienne it.
• Add the lime zest, cloves, almonds, ginger and the rum in a pint-sized jar and allow to macerate for 24 hours. Every now and then, take a moment to review your creation. It looks green, strange, almost luminous. Give it a shake. Awesome.
• Strain the infusion into your final container through a muslin or a moistened cheesecloth. Make sure to give it a good squeeze at the end to get every last drop of potent liquid out. If it’s still a bit ‘gritty’, run it through a second time, or if really stubborn try something like a coffee filter to help refine it.
• To make the rich simple syrup, add 2 cups of sugar (preferably super-fine) and 1 cup of cold (or slightly tepid) water to a large jar. Seal the lid and shake until the sugar is completely dissolved. If you’re struggling to get it to liquefy, add it to a pan and put it on a very low heat, stirring every few minutes until the liquid is clear.
• Measure 14 ounces of your syrup and pour into your final container along with the rum infusion and the almond extract, give it a shake to combine, and you’re done!

Cinnamon Syrup

• Use Cassia, which holds up better in syrup than ceylon or sri lankan.
• 15g Cassia
• 250g water
• 250g cane sugar

Simmer 15 mins, let sit for a couple hours, strain and store in fridge.