A comparison of different falernums. - Tiki Drinks and Food

J JenTiki Grand Member (1 year) Home of the best rum collection in NC Joined: Jun 16, 2006 Posts: 2336	J JenTiki Posted posted on Wed, Oct 7, 2015 9:23 AM Ace, I have a couple thoughts on some of your thoughts on Swanky's thoughts ... On 2015-10-07 07:11, AceExplorer wrote: On 2015-10-07 06:27, Swanky wrote: I'm sure you can dial in the recipe with your falernum and make something great, but I prefer to reach for the bottle I know is going to make the recipe the way I expect it and the way it was originated. Thanks, Swanky. Three follow-up thoughts and questions: I may be misunderstanding you - I'd like to know more about your thoughts on "how drinks were originated" with bottled falernums, I'm not sure that's what you meant. My understanding is that at the time our tropical cocktails were developed, it was often done with falernums that were made from scratch, and that this was a more common practice than today. Do you think there were a number of bottled falernums available to Vic Bergeron, Donn Beach, and others of the times? In the case of my home bar (which usually serves only me), some of the most commonly made drinks were, in fact, developed during the recent tiki resurgence. So bottled Falernum has been available, and the versions I fell in love with in local bars usually used Taylor's. So that's the flavor I expect when I think of Falernum, and I do actually love that flavor. I like the subtlety of the spice with the light floral note of the lime. Even for the older (Donn's and Vic's) recipes, they likely made the syrup in their restaurant kitchens the same way day after day in large batches so it was always consistent. I equate that more with bottled, rather than homemade, even though they're made from scratch. Taylor's bottled Falernum is weak, and from my experience, it had little influence in a drink and I will never buy it again. Its shortcoming is responsible for me making Falernum at home. I know Reynolds is highly rated, but it is only available to me by mail order. I don't have it, and it may be great stuff. You have a lot of experience, and I'd like to hear if you think Reynolds compares well to home-made My homemade, no matter when and where I use it, adds a pleasant "layer" among the other layers in a well-balanced cocktail and does not overpower drinks. I make Kaiser Penguin's Falernum #8 because I don't think Falernum #9 is a major improvement. As I mention above, Taylor's is what is usually used in the versions of these drinks that I love. And I'm talking about high-quality tiki bars in California, not just some tacky hole-in-the-wall joint. I haven't tried the other bottled Falernum's, but one new bar (here on the east coast) is attempting to make their own Falernum and the clove is terribly overpowering. I don't know what recipe they're using, but I did get them to cut back on the clove/allspice. Unfortunately, it still tastes like allspice dram or clove syrup. It's missing the delicate balance of flavors I equate to a good falernum. Making Falernum is not a bad deal if you have a microplane grater for zesting limes and take a few minutes to learn to use it well. Making Falernum is a fun way to spend an evening at your bar or in your kitchen with a friend. Cocktail folks work in creative ways, making syrups is something I associate with that. It seems to lend more "authenticity" to tropical mixology, and I find this to be a very enjoyable aspect of tropical cocktail mixology. I used to make my own ginger syrup since I used it in most of my own recipes. Since I rarely have guests, it usually went bad before I could use it all, and it was a hassle. Falernum is an even bigger hassle than ginger syrup, and one I'm not willing to go through just to make a few drinks a week for myself, or even for the rare party, when there is a perfectly good bottled version available. I don't think that makes me any less a "cocktail folk," just one who prefers consistency of flavor to the hands-on approach of slaving away over one ingredient. I'd rather spend that time drinking the cocktail, or chatting with my guests on the rare occasion that I have them. I don't strive to be a Falernum evangelist at all. I'm just not sure how to react to comments against using homemade Falernum. When I first got involved in the tropical cocktail and tiki scene, I had opportunities to speak with a number of authors and speakers at tiki events and ask detailed questions. I recall they all spoke highly of homemade, except when you're in a hurry or are serving a large number of guests in a short period of time. This was before Reynolds was selling theirs, so if it's really better than sliced bread, I will have to get some. Making this post made a boring meeting at work much more tolerable.

Ace, I have a couple thoughts on some of your thoughts on Swanky's thoughts ...

On 2015-10-07 07:11, AceExplorer wrote:

On 2015-10-07 06:27, Swanky wrote:
I'm sure you can dial in the recipe with your falernum and make something great, but I prefer to reach for the bottle I know is going to make the recipe the way I expect it and the way it was originated.

Thanks, Swanky. Three follow-up thoughts and questions:

I may be misunderstanding you - I'd like to know more about your thoughts on "how drinks were originated" with bottled falernums, I'm not sure that's what you meant. My understanding is that at the time our tropical cocktails were developed, it was often done with falernums that were made from scratch, and that this was a more common practice than today. Do you think there were a number of bottled falernums available to Vic Bergeron, Donn Beach, and others of the times?

In the case of my home bar (which usually serves only me), some of the most commonly made drinks were, in fact, developed during the recent tiki resurgence. So bottled Falernum has been available, and the versions I fell in love with in local bars usually used Taylor's. So that's the flavor I expect when I think of Falernum, and I do actually love that flavor. I like the subtlety of the spice with the light floral note of the lime. Even for the older (Donn's and Vic's) recipes, they likely made the syrup in their restaurant kitchens the same way day after day in large batches so it was always consistent. I equate that more with bottled, rather than homemade, even though they're made from scratch.

Taylor's bottled Falernum is weak, and from my experience, it had little influence in a drink and I will never buy it again. Its shortcoming is responsible for me making Falernum at home. I know Reynolds is highly rated, but it is only available to me by mail order. I don't have it, and it may be great stuff. You have a lot of experience, and I'd like to hear if you think Reynolds compares well to home-made My homemade, no matter when and where I use it, adds a pleasant "layer" among the other layers in a well-balanced cocktail and does not overpower drinks. I make Kaiser Penguin's Falernum #8 because I don't think Falernum #9 is a major improvement.

As I mention above, Taylor's is what is usually used in the versions of these drinks that I love. And I'm talking about high-quality tiki bars in California, not just some tacky hole-in-the-wall joint. I haven't tried the other bottled Falernum's, but one new bar (here on the east coast) is attempting to make their own Falernum and the clove is terribly overpowering. I don't know what recipe they're using, but I did get them to cut back on the clove/allspice. Unfortunately, it still tastes like allspice dram or clove syrup. It's missing the delicate balance of flavors I equate to a good falernum.

Making Falernum is not a bad deal if you have a microplane grater for zesting limes and take a few minutes to learn to use it well. Making Falernum is a fun way to spend an evening at your bar or in your kitchen with a friend. Cocktail folks work in creative ways, making syrups is something I associate with that. It seems to lend more "authenticity" to tropical mixology, and I find this to be a very enjoyable aspect of tropical cocktail mixology.

I used to make my own ginger syrup since I used it in most of my own recipes. Since I rarely have guests, it usually went bad before I could use it all, and it was a hassle. Falernum is an even bigger hassle than ginger syrup, and one I'm not willing to go through just to make a few drinks a week for myself, or even for the rare party, when there is a perfectly good bottled version available. I don't think that makes me any less a "cocktail folk," just one who prefers consistency of flavor to the hands-on approach of slaving away over one ingredient. I'd rather spend that time drinking the cocktail, or chatting with my guests on the rare occasion that I have them.

I don't strive to be a Falernum evangelist at all. I'm just not sure how to react to comments against using homemade Falernum. When I first got involved in the tropical cocktail and tiki scene, I had opportunities to speak with a number of authors and speakers at tiki events and ask detailed questions. I recall they all spoke highly of homemade, except when you're in a hurry or are serving a large number of guests in a short period of time. This was before Reynolds was selling theirs, so if it's really better than sliced bread, I will have to get some.

Making this post made a boring meeting at work much more tolerable.

Post #752173 by JenTiki on Wed, Oct 7, 2015 9:23 AM