Making Pimento Dram

I wanted to pass along this article that Serious Eats posted yesterday about making your own Pimento (Allspice) Dram:

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/02/diy-vs-buy-should-i-make-my-own-allspice-dram.html

It sounds very easy and I'm going to do it, but I'm looking for some advice beforehand. What rum should I use? Older threads on the subject here at TC suggest 151 Dem, but that doesn't seem right to me. Pimento dram comes from Jamaica, and apparently Wray & Nephew's Pimento Dram was the brand that Trader Vic & Don the Beachcomber used back in the golden era of Tiki. That brand is long gone from the American market, but Jamaican rum seems to be the way to go when making Pimento Dram (St Elizabeth is made with Jamaican rum). I'm considering using W&N Overproof, or just plain Appleton White. I'm leaning towards Appleton White, as both St Elizabeth & Bitter Truth products are only 22% abv (I'm not sure what the abv of W&N Berry Hill Pimento is).

Any thoughts on what rum to use, or any other tips on making pimento dram, would be appreciated.

Mahalo,

Craig

craig, here's a thread from my lab work on this (and there are probably other older threads as well):

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39248&forum=10&hilite=pimento

[ Edited by: thePorpoise 2012-02-18 21:47 ]

I've followed the recipe in Remixed twice and I've been happy with the results each time. Planning ahead is the key, since that recipe takes about 6 weeks to complete (a lot of sitting and waiting time).

As for the rum, I've used Cruzan white both times. I agree that using Appleton white or Wray & Nephew would probably be a stylistically better choice. I've also not done the math, so I don't know what proof my final product ends up at. Ultimately I'm happy with the results compared to the St. Elizabeth. I get a similar taste and get to make my own. :)

kevin

Wray and Nephew or a good amber 151

Bottled my first batch of homemade Pimento Dram this weekend. Made with equal parts Wray & Nephew overproof and Appleton 12. Steeped for 2 weeks and aged 5 weeks. This is the result...

I've never had a commercial Pimento Dram so I don't have anything to compare to but it's smooth and tasty. I went with a suggestion from someone who makes a lot of the stuff and used less sugar than most recipes call for. If I calculated correctly, it's at about 30% abv.

I have used Wray & Nephew and I have used PGA and vodka. Any high octane is good, the less flavor the better. You must use high proof as you will be cutting by half when you add the syrup. I would not use anything fancy for sure. I would not really use LH or other flavorful rums as I want a pure syrup. No cloves, no cinnamon, just allspice. Adding the other stuff muddies the waters. I can add clove if I want by way of falernum, and cinnamon with cinnamon syrup.

As for the 6 weeks thing, I have no clue where that comes from. I use it immediately after I make it. I also keep the berries in the fridge after I strain and may reuse them a few times.

Alton Brown recently featured an allspice dram recipe on Good Eats, where he also mentioned the “tiki craze” and the drinks Lion’s Tail and Three Dots and a Dash.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/allspice-dram-7994228