The idea of using orgeat for a slightly nutty component came to me when I was looking at Gaby Mlynarczyk’s version of the mix, which browns the butter and uses macadamia nut liqueur. I make orgeat with heavily toasted almonds, so it fits the bill. I’d like to try browning the butter for this recipe, too.
2oz softened unsalted butter
2oz honey
1oz orgeat
2tsp cinnamon syrup
1tsp vanilla bean paste
1tsp allspice dram
Makes enough for ~6 drinks.
Whisk together. Store remainder in the fridge and mix again before using.
Some thoughts on making coquito, the Puerto Rican answer to eggnog.
Most coquitos have a lot of gritty spices that sink to the bottom.
One answer to this is to infuse either the evaporated milk with the spices, or to infuse the rum with the spices.
An idea to get more coconut flavor without adding more coconut milk, sweetened coconut cream like Coco Lopez, or full fat coconut that gets chunky and clumps up when it is cold: Toast some coconut flakes and infuse the rum with them to get more coconut flavor.
Lots of tiki recipes call for Pineapple rum, but I’m wary of the stuff that is crystal clear and flavored with artificial extracts, so I mostly avoided it.
Then, I noticed the Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum that is flavored via real pineapple infusion, so I decided to try it myself. Notably, Stiggins uses aged rum instead of white rum. More my speed.
My original plan was to let the pineapple sit in rum for a couple weeks, but I wanted to use it faster than that, so I pulled out an old trick I learned about making quick infusions: Using heat!
I used a sous vide so that:
I could control the heat and keep it low enough to keep the pineapple from turning bitter
Control evaporation
Keep the rum from catching on fire over the gas stove
I used a whole chopped pineapple with the peel removed (core chopped up too), 750ml of a mix of Smith & Cross Jamaican rum and Diplomatico Venezuelan rum. Vacuum sealed it in a bag and “cooked” it for 2.5 hours at 130F.
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, gingerand 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.
