Homemade Falernum Liqueur Recipe

Unless you've spent time working as a bartender, or you have a particular love of cocktails, you may not know exactly what Falernum is. Falernum is used either in a non-alcoholic syrup form or as an infused rum-based liqueur to add a delicious tropical hit to many much-loved cocktails like the classic Zombie Cocktail or the Chartreuse Swizzle. Falernum originates from the Caribbean Island of Barbados and is flavored with almonds, lime, ginger, and spices such as allspice and cloves.

This recipe for homemade Falernum liqueur, developed by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, promises to be a much-loved and well-used addition to any amateur home mixologist's drinks cupboard. Falernum liqueur can be a bit of a tough ingredient to hunt down in the shops, and, although it requires a few days of patience, it doesn't take much work to create at home; most of the time is spent allowing the ingredients to steep. Plus, Falernum makes a great addition to your own cocktail cabinet or a unique, homemade gift for an aspiring mixologist, so why not give this deliciously tropical Falernum liqueur recipe a go?

To create this homemade Falernum liqueur recipe, first you will want to gather the ingredients. You will require a bottle of overproof rum as the base for your Falernum, and almonds, limes, cloves, allspice berries, and fresh ginger to add delicious tropical flavor. Finally, you will need cane sugar to create the syrup element which will add extra sweetness and a lime flavor to the resulting drink.

To begin your homemade Falernum, you will want to combine the almonds and the rum and allow the almonds to slowly infuse their flavor into the alcohol. To do this, start by roughly chopping the almonds and toasting the almonds in a pan for a few minutes until they are fragrant and golden. This will help to enhance the flavor of the almonds by bringing out their natural oils. Just remember to keep a close eye on the nuts; you don't want them to burn! 

Once the almonds are toasted to perfection, remove them from the heat, and allow them to cool completely before adding them to a jar along with the rum. Shake everything around a bit, and then let the mixture infuse for a day.

To add the next layer of flavor to your homemade Falernum mixture, start by zesting 8 limes. It will feel like a lot of lime zest, but the resulting flavor is definitely worth the labor. It is important to always use the freshest citrus zest, as the oils that provide the delicious citrusy flavor can quickly dissipate once a lemon or lime is zested, so make sure to get that zest into your Falernum infusion as soon as possible. 

Along with the lime zest, you will want to add the roughly chopped fresh ginger, the cloves, and the allspice berries. Give everything a good mix, and then leave your infusion to sit for another 24 hours.

After 24 hours it's time to strain the Falernum infusion. This is best done by lining a funnel with a muslin cloth or cheesecloth which is suspended over a jug or a jar. Slowly pour the infusion into the cloth to collect all of the zest, nuts, and spices, and allow the liquid to drip into the container below. Once the majority of the Falernum has filtered through the cloth, you can gather up the sides of the muslin and give it a good squeeze to help extract as much flavor from the ingredients as possible. Then, discard the contents of the cloth, and cover the falernum with a lid.

The final step to creating your homemade Falernum will be to create the lime syrup, which will give the liqueur sweetness as well as an extra dose of lime flavoring. To do this, add sugar and water to a small saucepan along with the lime juice, and then heat the mixture until all of the sugar has completely dissolved to create a syrup. Set the syrup aside to cool completely before adding it to the filtered Falernum mixture and giving it a thorough stir.

At this stage you can filter your Falernum once more if you choose; a coffee filter is a great option for this, but, an advance warning, this might take some time. This stage isn't necessary however, and after letting your homemade Falernum sit for an additional 24 hours, it will be ready to use and you can let your inner mixologist out to create some delicious tropical cocktails for yourself and your guests. This homemade Falernum is shelf stable, but to maintain the best quality make sure to store it somewhere cool and dry away from direct sunlight.