Making Pimento Dram
This is just a little record for myself and anyone else who is interested, covering my Pimento Dram making experiments. For those who don’t know, Pimento Dram is an allspice flavored liqueur with a rum base from Jamaica. I have had two attempts at making Pimento Dram, the first not very successful and the second quite successful.
The first time I tried making Pimento Dram I had limited access to raw materials on account of being in
Infusion
½ cup allspice in the form of lightly crushed whole berries (actually slightly more because my Cambodian purchased allspice – the last tiny pack in the shop - seemed slightly less flavorsome than the
1 ½ cups Bacardi 151
Syrup
3 cups water
750 grams molasses sugar
Infuse the rum and allspice for 2 weeks. Strain spice out. Rinse spice with a further ¾ cup of rum (Meyers). Heat the water and sugar on the stove until all of the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool. Mix the syrup with the rum infusion and bottle. Leave for a month before drinking.
Sadly this turned out rather badly. I think I committed two key mistakes. The first mistake was using Bacardi 151. The second mistake was using molasses sugar. I figured I would go for the darkest sugar I could find to ensure a nice rich taste. Molasses sugar just does not work, giving an odd pungent and sour taste that is just not good
My second attempt was far more successful. This time I was making it in
Infusion
Generous ¼ cup lightly crushed allspice
1 1/8 cups Demerara rum (Woods)
Syrup
1 ½ cups water
350 grams light Muscovado sugar
Infuse the rum and allspice for ten days. Strain spices out of the rum. Rinse remaining spices with a further 1/8 cup of Demerara rum. Boil water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Cool and add rum mixture. Leave for a month before drinking.
The second version was far superior to the first one. I think the difference was using Demerara rum and a lighter sugar. Unfortunately you really do need the Demerara rum to make this liqueur. Demerara rum has a spicy and sweet taste that helps the flavors integrate. The high alcohol content also helps in the infusion, and plus Demerara rum is simply a better quality product than Bacardi.
Well there you have it. . . I have seen recipes online for more complicated pimento dram recipes that include ingredients like lime zest and Angostura Bitters. I am not sure there is any need to get too complex. The above recipe works well for me.
Now the only problem is finding good cocktails that use this stuff. . .
March 14th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I make mine with Lemon Hart demerara 151 and i believe that this is the rum to use! I`m crazy about this rum..
My Pimento dram is resting and is to rest for another 3 weeks but i maybe will let it rest a bit more.
See ya at the MOR!
Tiare
March 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I would use Lemon Hart if I could find it Tiare. Unfortunately it has never been available anywhere I have lived.
I have only seen it once. This little Japanese bar in Shanghai called Constellation had a bottle at one stage. They wouldn’t open it for me to let me try though - fair enough I suppose given that it was something like 5am and I was rather drunk.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
[…] I asked Joy about the Wray & Nephew Pimento Dram. It does not seem like this is going to be imported into New Zealand anytime soon – or ever really. The local Appleton Estate brand representative cited lack of demand and poor labeling. The new label and name (Berry Hill) are a little cheesy I guess, but they obviously work in Jamaica. The lack of interest is a pity because this is a high quality and very interesting product. At least it is not too hard to make yourself though. You can check out my own efforts at producing Pimento Dram here. […]