Christmas is almost here, and surprise to nobody, I haven’t started shopping. I’m the quintessential procrastinator, especially when it comes to buying presents. We’ve all been there. It’s frustrating, right? You don’t want to be that person. The one that gets gift cards for everybody. Be better.
You know what’s better? Booze. We all love it. That’s why you’re here, that’s why I’m here. It’s equally as easy but considerably more thoughtful. It says, “Hey, I know you’re stuck here, with this family we see once a year, and our grandma keeps asking when we’re gonna start dating someone nice. But we’ll get through this together. You, me and rum.” I say together because with a bit of luck, the receiver of this gift-of-love cracks it open right away and pours you both one.
Captain Morgan, the standard for spiced rum, is one of the highest-selling rums out there, but is it good? Probably not. Is it tasty? Definitely. So why not make your own spiced rum? It’s simple, and you can pick your favorite quality aged rum to use. You can tweak it, bringing your favorite flavors forward, or make them as mild, or bold, as you prefer.
For my base rum I chose El Dorado 8 Year. While it’s smooth enough to sip, it’s not so expensive that I’ll be mad if I screw it up. I’ve adapted my spice mixture from a few different recipes found on the interwebs, but again, adjust it to your liking.
Your newly spiced rum will be great with orange juice, tasting similar to a Creamsicle. If you’re feeling festive, my family always asks me to bring eggnog and this rum to our holiday parties, so think ahead when presenting your treat and make sure you have a mixer. That way, if you’re lucky, you can reward yourself with a little buzz for creating an awesome gift.
Homemade Spiced Rum
Makes 1 Mason jar
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole allspice berries
4 whole cloves
3 whole black peppercorns
1/2 whole star anise
1 whole nutmeg
1 bottle aged rum
1 slice orange peel (avoid the bitter white pith as much as possible)
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean
Bring a saute pan to medium heat and toast all the dry spices until fragrant. Once fragrant, place all ingredients into a large Mason jar, seal tight and shake.
Allow mixture to sit for one day and shake again. At this point, sample to see how it's coming along. You can add or remove anything to your preference. Let sit for a second day, or if you're happy with it, strain through a coffee filter into the original bottle to use.
Follow @cfasick on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there's a cocktail or recipe you'd like featured.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2015.