Episode 10: Spiced rum
5 Minutes of Rum episode 10: Spiced rum, infusing your own spiced rum, and the Henry & John cocktail.
Empty Kraken spiced rum bottle.
Infusing spiced rum at home.
Infusing spiced rum at home.
Straining.
Left: Spice-infused Mt. Gay Eclipse (3 days)
Right: My Gay Eclipse from the bottle.
Henry and John cocktail.
Henry and John cocktail.
Home-infused spiced rum
To a good bottle of amber aged rum such as Mt. Gay Eclipse, add:
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 4-5 inch length of orange peel with all white pith removed
1 cinnamon stick, cracked
3 cloves
5 all-spice berries, cracked
5 whole black peppercorns, cracked
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 pieces of fresh, peeled ginger approximately the size of a quarter
Seal the bottle and store in a cool dark place. Turn the bottle upside-down and then right-side up once a day. On day 2, sample the rum. If any particular flavors are starting to dominate (and that's not desired), strain the bottle through a wire mesh strainer, remove the spice in question, and return everything else to the bottle. Between day 3 and 5, strain completely and pour rum back into the bottle. If desired, re-add a spice or 2. Leaving the spiced in longer will result in a stronger flavor. Just be sure to sample as it infuses. It's much easier to add flavor than to remove it.
Henry and John (Martin Cate)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
2 ounces quality spiced rum (like your own!)
1 ounce demerara sugar syrup
2 ounces soda water
Orange peel spiral and mint for garnish
Combine all ingredients except soda in a shaker with ice. Shake. Stir in soda water, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass with an orange peel spiral running through it. Top with mint. A swizzle wouldn't hurt either.