Allspice Dram

I've been dabbling with Tiki cocktails, so I decided to have a crack at making some of the special syrups and liqueurs that make tiki so unique. Allspice Dram is (as you might imagine) an allspice-based liqueur that gives a great spiciness and depth of flavor to drinks. It was really easy to make and stores well, so I'm glad to have given it go. I made this primarily to go in The Ancient Mariner. The only downside is the relatively small amount of drinks that it goes into. More scope for experimentation, I guess!

Allspice Dram
Ingredients 

• 1 cup of over-proof rum. Use light rum if that's what you have to hand (as I did here).
• 1/4 cup whole allspice berries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 cup water (for simple syrup)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (for simple syrup)

Step 1 - Toast spices
We went to an Indian supermarket and grabbed some some amazingly fresh and cheep whole spices. Huge Cinnamon quills and fragrant Allspice berries. Never buying spices from a regular supermarket again. 

Gently toast the spices so that awesome spice smell fills the air, but stop before you burn them.

 

Step 2 - Crush spices
I used a spice-grinder, but a food processor or mortar and pestle would be fine too.

Step 3 - Add spice mix to the rum
You only need a cup of rum for this recipe and it makes a lot. I had Bacardi to hand so went with that. Pour the spice mix into your bottling container and shake well.

Step 4 - Wait
Opinion differs here. Some guides I read suggested weeks to months of steeping time while others say days. I ended up steeping for a week as the event it was being used for was coming up quickly. After a week the colour had deepened and the flavor was richer. 

Thoroughly strain through a sieve and a coffee filter/cheese cloth to remove particles. 

Step 5 - Adding the simple syrup 
Bring the water to the boil on the stove and add the brown sugar. Take it off the heat and stir to combine. When cool add to the well strained liqueur and bottle.

Done! Well, mostly. Some people let it age before using it but I jumped right in! 

The finished product
It smells and tastes amazing - like Christmas to me, with those familiar English spices. It's quite sweet but has a very spicy back end that lingers on your tongue for a long time. Most recipes only call for a small amount - 1/4oz (7.5ml) or just a dash as it's powerful stuff. 

Lessons learned
I think I would try to get hold of over-proof rum next time I made this. I'm told that the higher % of alcohol extracts the flavor better, plus I think the higher proof would cut through the sweetness a bit. It's still great as it is though, so no regrets.

It was really fun to make this liqueur and I'm looking forward to trying new drinks that utilize it.

Source: Serious Eats, also Serious Eats,