Velvet Falernum to the US

Here is a link:

http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=914

I am so pleased to hear that Eric got a hold of it- he told me about it a few days ago- I was actually the one that suggested he go after the import rights, and I'm stoked it worked out. Wish I got a cut!

I hear Jeff Berry is scuttling the whole deal.

Just kidding.

Vive le velours!

How will this product differ from the John D. Taylor's Velvet falernum that is currently available here in the USA?

Or is it just a transfer of distributorship to make it more widely available?

I have never had a problem getting it here in Chicago...

Full credit to Martiki for the initial suggestion. As I learned from him and subsequently echoed by many others in San Francisco and New York, the Taylor's Velvet Falernum had been out of stock for quite some time with no clear indication of timing for it's return. The message was clear - it's a high priority item and needs to be available. Our initial inventory is expected into the NJ warehouse in early-March and will fan out from there (we'll post updates at the alpenz website). Thanks again Martiki and the many of you who asked!

I just ordered a case of Velvet Falernum from my local Liquor store. The guy running it had never heard of it or sold it. We looked it up in his distributors book and found it he said he gets deliveries almost everyday "so if its in the book they have it" I'll let you know if / when the case shows up. "should be early this week".

stay tuned

I wasn't able to find any at our local liquor store, but I did find this:

• Zest from 10 limes
• 10 cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 liter white rum

Marinate together for 24 hours. Strain and store in a cool place.

Mix 8 oz. of rum marinade with 1 quart of simple syrup.

I'm just starting to put together a Drinks section on my web site and posted this and an orgeat recipe just today! More will come, and I'll post the URL after I get at least a couple of dozen good Drinks posted. I'm digging through some old posts here for some ideas.

I think you'll find you'll need more than 10 cloves in that recipe - My personal recipe is about 40. I vary mine based on the wonderful Paul Clarke's recipe.

Craig 'Melintur' Hermann
Tiki Drinks and Indigo Firmaments

[ Edited by: Melintur 2008-02-19 14:01 ]

Got a call from my liquor store guy - they no gots any more - back to the drawing board. Any help?- besides makin it myself? Fee bros? - any good?

On 2008-03-04 13:13, sneakyjack wrote:
Got a call from my liquor store guy - they no gots any more - back to the drawing board. Any help?- besides makin it myself? Fee bros? - any good?

I used Fee bros and Velvet Falernum in the same drink recently (for a scientific A/B taste test). Unfortunately I forgot to write my results down. I had a few more drinks after that apparently. As I recall there was a slight difference between the two but both were quite enjoyable. I got the Velvet Falernum from:
http://www.internetwines.com/rws33161.html but alas they are now out of stock.

I got the Fee Bros from amazon.com for 10 bucks a quart.
I never tried making it myself, seems like too much work. Squeezing limes is about as involved as I want to get come the cocktail hour.

I like Gosling's Bermuda Falernum best, (I think it's what they use in the Swizzle Inn's famous Rum Swizzles.) Unfortunately, Gosling's has no plans to export it to the US, so the only way you can get some is by going to Bermuda--thought there are certainly worse places to visit. We've laid in a pretty good supply on past trips, which means that even though we have no immediate plans to go back to that beautiful island, at our current rate of consumption, we still have a 37 year supply left! Best to all, David

What's in Fee Brother's Falernum? Is there any alcohol? I'm wondering because their web listings are all syrups and such.

On 2008-03-06 07:53, foamy wrote:
What's in Fee Brother's Falernum? Is there any alcohol? I'm wondering because their web listings are all syrups and such.

No alcohol in Fee Brothers... Many say it is the best available (commercially available) option for making tropical drinks.

Okay, thanks for filling me in.

My next question is: If Fee Bros. non-alcohol is considered the best for tropicals (and I've seen it recommended in Berry's books if I'm not mistaken), how does the Taylor Falernum do in cocktails? Is it fine? Or, what is the taste difference? Should I hesitate to use the Taylor in my cocktails?

Thanks for the replies.

I know that this subject has been discussed in the past, but, again... Has anyone, recently, tried the Fee Brothers Falernum, side by side, with the Taylor Velvet Falernum? I did so, again, last night thinking that I was missing something. The Fee Brothers tastes like a very sweet lime syrup and not much else. Yes, there are some subtle hints of a few other ingredients, and I mean subtle. The Taylor is alive with all of the listed ingredients. And, also, has not the Taylor Velvet Falernum been available in the US for the past 2 years? California has had it since 2005.

Martiki bought most every last bottle in CA, but maybe you should wager a zombie (or your bottle) that you can find a bottle at retail in CA!

The Taylor's Velvet Falernum should be back in stock in CA just a few more weeks.

[ Edited by: van Oosten 2008-03-07 19:07 ]

It is available at BevMo at least the southern CA stores. I have purchased it at the Huntington Beach and Long Beach locations...It was in stock in Long Beach on Wednesday.

Jeff

Are you sure that you are talking about Taylor Velvet Falernum? I have shopped the store in LB of which you speak and have never seen it. When I asked today, they had never heard of it and the BevMo computer shows that it is not a product which they carry, company-wide or even have a vender.

[ Edited by: bewarethe151 2008-03-08 15:28 ]

If this is what you are looking for then yes. It is with the Rum. Cant remember exact location in LB but the Huntington Beach store it is on the top shelf in the middle of the rum selection.

Thanks. I know the stuff well and went through the rum and mixer section with a fine-tooth comb. A BevMo employee helped. No joy in Long Beach, the place on PCH which you enter from "behind the complex" away from PCH. Anyway, I will try HB tomorrow, but this must have sold out when Martiki went on his hunting trip for Forbidden Island.

No Taylor's Velvet Falernum at BevMo in Huntington Beach. It's not in the system. We'll need to wait for the "grand reopening" under the new importer/distributor. Of course there are those lone bottles out there...somewhere...:)

I'm still looking east coast style- In the NY area. I noticed it was to be in New Jersey mid March. My liquor store guy has a standing order when "it comes in"... If it comes in . Any updates?
Mahalo

I just ran out of Falernum myself, was planning on making a bunch of Corn n' Oils and my favorite liquor store in town was all out. I was bummed, went over to the rum section, and a load of Lemon Hart just showed up. I grabbed a bottle of Lemon Hart, and what do I find hiding behind...Velvet Falernum! I hope it wasn't one of you guys.

No Falernum to be found anywhere in San Fernando Valley. I just went to a few Liquor stores and Bev Mo. Came home and called all the rest. Nope, nowhere at all. I also called Walley's in Westlake,( no was the answer). Finally called Hi Time Wine. They were the first place that knew what Falernum was and told me it will be coming in soon and for me to call to find out when. And they already carry St Elizabeth Spice liquor as of today.

Just a heads up that Hi Times now has John Taylor's Falernum for $17.

I can't believe this , I was just there on Monday long trip from SFV, and they didn't have it and didn't know when they would be getting the Falernum. Damn

It's there now at $17.99.

Interesting.
I must have had my bottle of Velvet for at least a year now. More, for all I know. I think I picked it up at Bevmo, but it has been a year so I am not 100% sure.
Cheers.

For those who can't find it, here's a website selling the Velvet Falernum. They also have a few interesting rums and whiskeys too.

Prices seem somewhat comparable to local stores and free shipping for orders of $100 and up. If you're not in NY, hopefully your state will allow you to buy booze from another state.

http://www.DrinkUpNY.com/Velvet_Falernum_p/s0548.htm

it's not bad, but definitely not as good as home-made. Check out this recipe, which I used a couple of weeks ago and was very happy with the results, even though I can't cook at all.

http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/07/28/falernum-8/

I'm not an alcoholic, I'm an enthusiast.

[ Edited by: leisure master 2008-04-16 04:11 ]

[ Edited by: leisure master 2008-04-16 07:03 ]

If anybody wants a pictorial of making your own falernum, I have a photo essay of my fourth batch of Falernum (based on Paul's recipe, above) at my Cocktail Web Column. (I am still in search of a better term than 'blog')

I'll have phase II up Today or Tomorrow.

Craig 'Melintur' Hermann
Tiki Drinks and Indigo Firmaments

[ Edited by: Melintur 2008-04-16 08:26 ]

I was at High-time yesterday and they are out of Velvet Falernum, anyone knows where I can get some in L.A.?

Vendome in NoHo.

I just picked up a bottle of Velvet here in Austin for $13. It definitely has a more complex flavor profile than does Fee Brothers, although I'm not convinced that that means it mixes better in cocktails.

Martin, I have been there twice, last time was a month ago and they don't have it.

In LA area, call down to Hi-Times, or call to Wine Warehouse or Wally's. In NoCal (mail order) you can order from Blackwell's, Wine Commune/Berkeley, Vintage Wine & Spirits in Mill Valley. California distributor is Pacific Edge.

Also by mail order is DrinkUpNY.com or samswines.com.

I just picked up the last bottle at a BevMo shop in Roseville, CA. I tried it in a Test Pilot cocktail, it rocks.

I called around the SFV Bevmo's and located a bottle of Velvet Falernum. They had one bottle in Northridge, so I got it.
It's getting scarce. I've made up a couple of batches of my own Falernum and I've been waiting to get my hands on it for comparison sake. A friend was generous enough to share the ancient Sazerac Falernum, but I still needed to get a taste of the Velvet Falernum to see what it's all about.
Very tasty!

I easily found it in two local stores (one in CT; one in MA), one of which considers Bacardi their top shelf of rums. I've been reluctant to use it in a cocktail figuring the alcohol might screw up the rest of the mixes & held out for some Fee Bros., but after reading this thread, may give it a whirl.

There's about 20 bottles at HiTimes, now.

Ayyyyy, damn it!this means I have to go there again, High Time is not exactly around the corner. Actually I love going there, but I end up spending millions of dollars....

BTW, it's not with the mixers anymore. It's kind of close the entance of the store, behind a row of registers.

Finally I was able to get a couple of bottles from High-Time. There are only three left.

Are all of the Bevmo's out of Velvet??

Best
Mark

On 2008-09-25 22:32, Sparkle Mark wrote:
Are all of the Bevmo's out of Velvet??

Best
Mark

I've seen lone, or 2 bottles, on the Bevmo shelves around SoCal. Some have it with mixers, others with liqueurs.

I just found a lone bottle at BevMo. What's the best drink to try this stuff out?

I just found one bottle each of Velvet Falernum AND Allspice Dram here:

Bevmo
19524 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 993-3250

Best
Mark

There was one orphaned bottle of Velvet Falernum at the Van Nuys Bevmo as well.
Didn't go in planning to get the Falernum but it looked so lonely on the shelf.
I'm still working on the wonderful home made Falernum that was given to me by Sparkle Mark.

We had a bit of a 'burp in supply to CA - sorry about that - more is on the way in the coming weeks.