Allspice Dram

Allspice Dram

By Bill Lau | A Potable Pastime

Easy-to-make specialty mixer at home in select Tiki drink recipes.

I’ve seen this called for in certain Tiki drink recipes in the past, but had never found it at my usual liquor stores, so I always just put those recipes on the back burner. One day, I figured, I’d come across the stuff and then I’d try those drinks.

Well, it turned up again as a required ingredient in several recipes of interest in the wonderful book Tiki Drinks – Tropical Cocktails for the Modern Bar by Nicole Weston and Robert Sharp, but this time they included a recipe for making your own allspice dram. Sounded like fun to me. Their recipe makes about a pint of allspice dram; since the drink recipes I’ve seen call for amounts of only 1/4 or 1/2 oz, I scaled things down slightly and gave it a go, figuring 8 ounces of allspice dram would address my needs for awhile.

It’s very easy to make, and the allspice smells sooooo good! I can’t wait to try it out in a few Tiki drinks and share the recipes for those here!

Ingredients:
2 Tbs whole allspice berries, lightly crushed
4 oz white overproof rum
4 oz simple syrup
3/4 tsp vanilla paste

Method:
Combine ingredients in a small container (I used a pint canning jar), afix lid and shake, then allow to steep 2-4 days in a cool, dark place. (I let mine sit for 3 days.)

Give the container a gentle shake 2 or 3 times a day.

Strain and bottle. I found a gold metal coffee filter worked the best for straining; my finest mesh strainer allowed tiny bits through, and a paper coffee filter was excruciatingly slow to pass the liquid (hey, I’m impatient, no apologies!).

Use in Tiki drink recipes as called for (stay tuned to this blog – I promise to bring you some good ones!). Very small amounts go a long way, and they add a wonderful spice character to provide additional complexity to the usual cast of suspects like rum and tropical fruit juices.

This will keep for quite some time stored at room temperature, just like a commercial liqueur.