Post #756980 by AceExplorer on Fri, Jan 8, 2016 3:04 PM

On 2016-01-08 14:37, mikehooker wrote:
Paul Clarke has since introduced #10 which omits the lime juice, something posters on here have recommended doing since the fresh juice reduces shelf life.

Has anyone tried it?

I haven't tried #10, but given the reasons for #8 having been previously embraced, I would try #10 as an experiment and then taste-test side by side against #8. Since Falernum is a pain in the butt to make, shelf life is truly important. I have solved that problem by adding two ounces pure grain alcohol to each bottle, and storing it in the freezer when I'm not actively using it -- the shelf life problem is thereby rendered completely non-existent. Again this also came from the Bum.

My position on #9 (and possibly #10 to some extent) is that #9 came about partly from a desire to reduce the almond extract and replace it with "honest" freshly toasted nuts in the recipe. #10 still uses an interesting blend of fresh nuts and extract, as if the nuts themselves aren't enough for almond flavor, but quite acceptable for the toasted almond aspect which is not present in the #8. My quandary is that the #8 has been described by the Bum as a very close approximation to the real Falernums of the times, based on taste-tests of well-preserved bottles of the real thing from the time period.

There's plenty of wiggle room here. I think that only by experimenting and talking to folks will you come to a personal conclusion. I don't want to be a #8 fiend over everything else, but my personal conversations with The Bum have cemented this formula into my repertoire and I've been quite happy with the results. The #8 is very similar to the home-made Falernum I have tasted straight at Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas, for what that's worth.

Mike, let us know what you end up doing, and what your impressions are. Have fun with it. I often have one or more friends come over and we have a Falernum making party. Sounds like I need to make one of each 8, 9, and 10 the next time for all of us to taste-test and compare.

Cheers!