House Made Allspice Liqueur Recipe

I figure bartenders make their own wonderful Privateer cocktails, after all they’re the bartender. I did work in a spice house in college though and love making falernum, pimento syrups and simples for bartenders to play with, obviously made with Privateer Rum and the sugars/molasses that become our rum. There is something truly special about a cocktail made from a craft spirit and its base ingredients- it just has a special harmony. That’s another reason I love working with rum, a malt simple syrup’s just not the same as one made with cane juice.

Here is my Privateer Allspice Liqueur:

Put 1 tbs allspice and 6oz Privateer Silver in a blender and blend
Put mixture in a jar to rest over two nights and one full day, shaking often
Strain in a cheesecloth or a French press back into the rinsed jar

In a small pot add 1/2 cup real boiled brown sugar and 1/4 cup water
Warm to just simmering then turn of the heat while whisking, allowing it to heat anymore than this causes the sugar flavor to lose its crispness
Add to the jar with the allspice infused rum
It’s ready to be used and will get more flavorful with time

Want to get your hands on some Privateer real boiled brown sugar for this recipe? Book a tour tours@privateerrum.com

Cheers

Love and admire this school of distilling!

Barrel #72

Wow.  Yesterday I laid back our 72nd barrel!  The future and worth of a distillery is in its rack house and I am lucky to have the space and barrels I need to build a great cellar program.  When a spirit comes off the still it really does have a personality all it’s own.  I select the type of wood (French oak, used Bourbon, used Brandy, American oak, etc.) that suits it best.  Then I give it a good home and raise it up right watching all it’s little twists and turns until it’s ready.  It adds its personality to a batch of our Amber rum and gives our spirit complexity with it’s own voice that becomes married with other barrel’s voices.  I know I gave it all I can and tried to govern it with what I believe in, quality.  It goes out into the world and whatever experience you have with it is yours and I just hope it showed you it’s strong roots.  Cheers to patience!

Field Trip: New England Distilling

I was lucky enough to spend the morning at New England Distilling and I came away completely thrilled and rooting for them.

They are intelligent, intuitive, passionate and talented.  They are everything that is great for craft spirits.

The Gin blew me away.  Where many craft distillers opt for purchasing bulk spirit, flavoring it, and bottling it these guys ferment and distill a barely base that turns out an elegant rich spirit with incredible focus yet they completely avoid a clinical feeling that’s all to common in the category.  My husband who has a brewing background and has been in and out of distilleries tasting with me for the last five years proclaimed it was one of the best he’s ever had while still being very unique- a hard balancing act indeed.

The Rum is rich and toasty.  It invites you to jump in.  I’ll be posting a technical tasting note on this shortly.

The Rye from barrel was stunning.  I am a true rye fanatic and have a deep respect for how finicky it can be.  With their strong brewing background they coax out a beautiful spirit that made my mouth water.  I can’t wait until these whiskey barrels mature and age into something very special. 

There is a lot happening in the world of rye right now.  Already distilled spirit in barrel on the contract market seems to be drying up and many craft distillers are putting it down in barrel themselves.  It is testy to ferment, temperamental in its aging and shows a whole host of flaws much more obviously than the forgiving corn of bourbon.  These guys are on the pulse of the future and ever building boom of rye.

I really could go on…. I hope to have them out for a visit to Privateer and I know I will be taking them up on the offer to drop by again… they are going great places.