Falernum is a deliciously zesty and aromatic syrup used in many traditional tiki drinks. You can buy it off the shelf, but it’s just as simple to make it yourself. Here is how to make your own falernum at home.
The great thing is the ingredients are super simple and it doesn’t take too long to make.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Slivered Almonds
- 20 crushed Cloves
- 95 ml Bacardi Carta Blanca (or other white rum)
- Zest of 4 big Limes
- Roughly 4cm chunk of peeled ginger, sliced
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 90 ml warm water
- 25 ml Lime Juice
- Couple drops of almond extract or almond essence
Method
- Toast almonds and cloves in a frying pan over medium heat until you see them go golden
- Add these to a sterilized jar (you can do this by rinsing it with boiling water) along with the rum, ginger pieces and lime zest
- Give the jar a good shake and leave it to infuse for around 24 hours at room temperature
- After that, strain the mixture through a sieve and muslin cloth if you have some (this will get rid of fine particles) and try to get as much of the oil out of the solids as you can before throwing them out
- In another sterilised jar, add the sugar and warm water and shake or stir until their combined
- Add the strained rum mixture to the sugar and water mixture as well as the lime juice and almond extract. Mix it together by giving it a good shake
This mixture should stay good in the fridge for up to one month
Want more tiki recipes? Check out the others in this series.
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