Episode 15: Smith & Cross Jamaican rum
5 Minutes of Rum episode 15: Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, pimento liqueur, and Black River Punch.
Allspice tree
Pimento Liqueur
1/4 cup dried whole allspice berries
1 (one) 750 ml bottle of light Virgin Islands rum
2 cups demerara sugar
1 cup water
Grind the allspice berries to the consistency of ground coffee. Combine in a saucepan with 1 cup of the light rum and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir. Funnel into an empty rum bottle with grounds and fill 3/4 of the way with more of the light rum. Cap and let it sit for 2 weeks, shaking once a day.
After 2 weeks, remove from bottle and strain through cheesecloth. Then filter 2 more times through unbleached paper coffee filters or twice through an aeropress. Make a demerara sugar syrup with the 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Combine equal parts of this sugar and the pimento rum, bottle, and let sit for at least a month.
Black River Punch
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz demerara sugar syrup
1/2 oz falernum
1/4 oz pimento liqueur
3 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum
2 oz black tea
3/4 cup crushed ice.
Combine all ingredients and flash blend/mix for 5 seconds. Pour into a tall glass or tiki mug and fill with ice cubes. Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg.
This recipe can be scaled up as a punch for a large gathering. The simplest way is to just multiple each ingredient by how many total servings you want. If you want to arrive at a specific fluid total, you'll need to do a little math. For example, to make 1.5 gallons (192 oz), divide the end total ounces desired by the amount of 1 serving (8.5 oz), or ~22 in this case. When scaling up for a punch, regardless of how, omit the ice. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large vessel (a punch bowl works nicely) and pour into cups filled with ice like a gentleman. A punch cup serving is typically about 4-5 ounces over ice.
Substitutions: 1.5 oz Smith & Cross and 1.5 oz Appleton VX, or 3 oz Appleton VX, depending on your taste. 1.5 o Smith & Cross and 1.5 oz Batavia Arrack is also a fine choice.