Post #660364 by arriano on Sun, Dec 2, 2012 10:04 AM

When I made my falernum, I looked at several recipes and combined the elements I liked. This is what I came up with and I'm very happy with the result:

8 oz overproof rum (I used Trader Vic's 151)
1½ cups skinless, blanched almonds (lightly toasted)
½ cup peeled and roughly chopped ginger
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 tbsp whole allspice
4 anise pods
1 nutmeg
Zest of 4 limes
2 cups sugar
1 cup "almond water"

Toast almonds on a cookie sheet in oven at 350 F for 20-30 min. Place almonds in a large glass jar, cover with a quart of water. Let sit for 30 min, shaking occasionally. Strain almonds, discard water and wash out jar. Roughly chop almonds and place back into jar. Cover with 1 cup of water and let sit for four hours. Strain out almond water into a measuring cup and add more water if necessary to make 1 cup. Discard almonds and wash out jar again. Place spices in a large saucepan, over medium heat, tossing frequently for 1-5 minutes. Add spices to jar with rum, ginger, lime zest and rum. Let it sit in a cool place for 24 hours. Make the syrup by putting sugar and almond water in a large pot over a medium-low heat for about five minutes, until sugar has dissolved. Using cheese cloth, strain the mixture from the jar into the syrup. Press on the solids to extract as much as you can. When cooled to room temperature, strain using coffee filter into a bottle. Voila.

"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge

[ Edited by: arriano 2012-12-03 10:15 ]