Falernum
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Falernum is a must have ingredient for any tiki enthusiast.
You’ll need the following equipment:
Ingredients:
Wray and Nephew Overproof Jamaican Rum
Key Limes
Fresh Ginger
Falernum hails from Barbados and has been used in cocktails since at least the 1800s.
Just by using a tiny bit, Falernum offers depth and just an almost imperceptible spice that really balances out the sometimes cloyingly sweet and overly boozy tiki cocktails.
There is no real definitive recipe for Falernum, but each recipe I’ve seen calls for over proof rum, sugar, lime, almond and clove.
For over proof rum, I recommend Wray and Nephew - its widely available and has such a lovely tropical aroma that enhances the flavors of this homemade falernum.
For almonds, you will want to use blanched almonds which you can make on your own or buy them. I prefer to use blanched and slivered almonds because they have more surface area for toasting which will impart that delicious toasted almond flavor to the falernum.
I noticed many recipes that I found contained a large quantity of cloves, but I find that the cloves have such a strong flavor and tend to overwhelm the falernum. Eight cloves offered just enough flavor without being overwhelming.
I also like to add a small amount of freshly grated nutmeg to my falernum to add a bit more of that spicy complexity. I think about a 1/2 teaspoon adds just the right amount of flavor.
I developed this falernum recipe for my key lime vegan milk punch and therefore will be using key limes as my citrus. The key lime pie milk punch post can be found *here*. I am making a small batch here, so feel free to double or triple this recipe. Mine will yield 6 ounces. This falernum recipe will use both the zest and juice of 10 key limes, if you are making it with regular limes, you would only need about 4 limes. Although we won’t need the juice until the next day, I think it’s best to juice them immediately after zesting- otherwise they tend to dry out. When zesting the limes, be careful not to get any of the white pith in there- it tends to be quite bitter.
To start this falernum off, I’m first going to toast the almonds and cloves over low- medium heat for about five minutes tossing it regularly to make sure the almonds are evenly toasted. These can burn pretty quickly, so definitely keep an eye on them. Once the cloves and almonds have evenly toasted, remove from the heat and let cool off completely.
Most falernum recipes I’ve seen use a rich simple syrup, but I found a semi rich simple syrup to work best. This means I will be using a 1.5 to 1 ratio of sugar to water, rather than a 2 to 1 ratio. I am also using two types of sugar, turbinado sugar for its caramel flavor, as well as white sugar. All white sugar leaves the falernum a little too sweet and lacking in complexity, but all turbinado sugar offered too much caramel. I am using 3 tablespoons of white sugar and 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar. Add both sugars to a pan and add 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over low heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
I’m using a 1.5-inch piece of fresh ginger that I will peel and grate. The skin of ginger is pretty bitter, so I want to make sure I remove it before infusing it into the rum. I find that the easiest way to peel it is by using a teaspoon, the shape is really great for getting into all the nooks and crannies.
Now that all out ingredients are prepped, we are ready to start making the falernum.
To my jar with a lid, I will add the lime zest, nutmeg, ginger, toasted almonds and cloves. Once all the aromatics are in the jar, cover them with 3 ounces of over proof rum. After I screw on the lid, I like to give this mixture a good shake to help get the infusion going, Now all that’s left to do it let it infuse for 24 hours.
After 24 hours the infusion has taken on a pretty green hue from the lime zest.
I prefer to use a coffee filter to strain off the solids.
I will also press the solids through a mesh strainer to extract evenly last bit of liquid out of them, then also pass that through the coffee filter.
Once the infusion has finished filtering, it’s time to add the syrup and the lime juice which yielded just about a quarter cup.
I’ll give it a good shake to combine, transfer it to a bottle with a lid and label it.
While it doesn’t have the most appealing color, its beautifully fragrant and so so good. You can taste all the flavors in perfect harmony. I find store bought falernum to be really heavy on the clove with artificial lime flavor. The fresh lime zest and juice really brighten this falernum- its good enough to drink on its own- it kind of reminds me of green chartreuse in a way- I can’t really put my finger on it.
It went perfectly with my vegan key lime pie milk punch. I can’t wait to use it in other cocktails, and I look forward to experimenting more with different variations of falernum in the future.
Ingredients:
10 key limes – juice and zest
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 cloves
¼ cup slivered almonds
3oz overproof rum (I prefer Wray and Nephew)
3 tbs granulated sugar
2 tbs turbinado sugar
3 tbs water
1 heaping tbs grated ginger
Method:
Lightly toast almonds and cloves in a pan. Make a simple syrup by combining both types of sugar and the water. Heat until sugar dissolves. Zest and juice the key limes. Store the lime juice and syrup in the refrigerator until needed. Grate roughly ½ tsp of nutmeg and add it to a jar along with almonds, cloves, lime zest and 3 oz of rum. Screw on lid and shake to combine. Let rest for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, filter through a coffee filter and add the simple syrup and lime juice. Keep stored in the refrigerator.
