New infusion idea

[Tiare]

Just read JMacs inroduction and this gave me and idea of making a new rum infusion (Thanks John):

Quote from his JMacs post: Well to put it mildly the rum was STRONG and had a Raspberry meets Hot Cinnamon schnapps meets black pepper flavour.

What about making an infusion with JW&N overproof and raspberries and black peppers? I just feel that idea stucked in my head now and i bet i can`t sleep properly until i`ve started experimenting with this..

[Paulipbartender]

Strawberries and black pepper are a wonderful combination - raspberries may well work as well

[Tiare]

OK I`m gonna make 2, one with raspberries and one with strawberries just to compare.

[Tiare]

And then I wonder which would be best, to use the dried black peppers or the fresh ones which are green? the fresh black pepper has such a fresh fragrance.

[RumBarPhilly]

Absolut has their New Orlenas product which is Mango and Black Pepper flavored vodka. Its the first ever Absolut product that I enjoyed. Apparently black pepper works well with many fruits. Let us know how raspberries work out!

[robercw]

Absolut has their New Orlenas product which is Mango and Black Pepper flavored vodka. Its the first ever Absolut product that I enjoyed. Apparently black pepper works well with many fruits. Let us know how raspberries work out!

I've always enjoyed fresh cantaloupe with black pepper on it. Having recently sampled a mango infused rum that reminded me of cantaloupe, I can't help but think that mango and black pepper would be good.

[Tiare]

To use melon in an infusion..they must be well ripe..that`s a bit hard to find here..at least now so its rapberry and strawberry now and cantaloupe in the summer to come,-)

[RumBarPhilly]

I cant wait for summer so we can do our honeydew rum again. but until then im stuck with berries and spices

[Dood]

I cant wait for summer so we can do our honeydew rum again. but until then im stuck with berries and spices

Any recommendations on blackberry?

I've got a blackberry infusion running...it's entering day 5 and SWMBO is not yet satisfied with it (because she says the rum flavor is still stronger than the berry flavor).

[RumBarPhilly]

Dood, we tried a Blackberry-Raspberry Rum a while back. While it was very pretty, it tasted much more of raspberries. Perhaps more work is needed in processing blackberries... something to release their oils better.

Maybe poaching em... or roasting em...

Or you can just give it more time for the alcohol to break down the membrane of the blackberry balls. (I dont know what to call em! hehe)

[Dood]

Dood, we tried a Blackberry-Raspberry Rum a while back. While it was very pretty, it tasted much more of raspberries. Perhaps more work is needed in processing blackberries... something to release their oils better.

Maybe poaching em... or roasting em...

Or you can just give it more time for the alcohol to break down the membrane of the blackberry balls. (I dont know what to call em! hehe)

Good to know it's not just me then. ;)

The rum has turned a very pretty reddish color, but the flavor is still pretty much the blend with just the slightest hint of the berries.

There is a measure of tartness there as well, which I'll try to balance with some sugar.

Maybe I'll try your idea of roasting the berries just a bit, as well as the tactic of swapping in fresh berries every few days.

[RumBarPhilly]

Not sure swapping out fresh berries will work with these. There is very little contact between the flesh of the fruit and the rum, which is why you might not be getting much flavor. Fruit like apples, strawberries, bananas, mangoes, pineapples have direct contact between the flesh and the rum, but in instances like blackberries, unripened raspberries, and many citrus fruits, there is very little contact due to the fruits skin or membrane.

Let me know how roasting em goes.

[RobertBurr]

Maybe I'll try your idea of roasting the berries just a bit, as well as the tactic of swapping in fresh berries every few days.

How about tying them up in a ball of cheesecloth and macerating them a bit? Sort of a tea bag approach.

[RumBarPhilly]

There ya go!

[JMac]

No problems Tiare...glad to help.

All the recipe ideas sound great but what would account for the cinnamon flavor??? I am not a trained connoisseur but I do remember the surprise at the taste of cinnamon when it wasn't in the bouquet.

[Tiare]

All the recipe ideas sound great but what would account for the cinnamon flavor???

Just to add some fresh cinnamon sticks into the bottle as well..;)

[Lew Barrett]

How about a suggestion for a coffee infusion? Anybody gone this route? Something that just hints of coffee.

[Tiare]

Never tried coffee infusion...but i would love to try if i can get the Hawaiian Kona Coffee and the Jamaican Blue Mountain...and make 2 different infusions.

[Edward Hamilton]

Fresh roasted coffee beans will release their oils nicely in high proof spirits, much more so than in, say, 80 proof infusions. A little caffeine can be nice, but don't leave them in the infusion too long or it will get bitter.

[Tiare]

When using coffee..how do you do with the beans, are they left whole or crushed?

[RumBarPhilly]

Nice and simple...

Break out your coffee machine. But the filter in the filter cup. Add about 1/2 cup of ground coffee. Pour your rum through and collect on the other end. (DO NOT PLUG IN, POUR IT COLD!!)

Add 1/2 cup of sugar to coffee rum and shake.

Boo-YAH! Coffee Rum in less than 2 minutes!

[Tiare]

Nice and simple...

Break out your coffee machine. But the filter in the filter cup. Add about 1/2 cup of ground coffee. Pour your rum through and collect on the other end. (DO NOT PLUG IN, POUR IT COLD!!)

Add 1/2 cup of sugar to coffee rum and shake.

Boo-YAH! Coffee Rum in less than 2 minutes!

YEA....WELL....:D as i´m in charge of our large coffe machine in our office....NOW i know how to brighten up our days at work! lets just hope the stuff we sell gets to the right customers..

[Lew Barrett]

I'll report back after the experiment.:D
Any recommendations on the specific spirit to use?

[RumBarPhilly]

For infusions, if you want it a little sweeter, use Cruzan Lite. For a better balance, Bacardi will do. (Yes, I said that)

[Dood]

I usually use a blend of either Appleton Special or Matusalem Platino with Wray & Nephew Overproof.

[RumBarPhilly]

I usually use a blend of either Appleton Special or Matusalem Platino with Wray & Nephew Overproof.

Matusalem Platino would probably work great. Does the flavor of the Wray & Nephew overpower any of your infusions at all?

[Dood]

Matusalem Platino would probably work great. Does the flavor of the Wray & Nephew overpower any of your infusions at all?

Not so far. I try to use a ratio of 3:1 in favor of the non-overproof base, although I've gone as low as 2:1 - which does bring with it a lot more of the W&N flavor and bite.

The last few I've done I've tinkered with the base blend for a good 2 or 3 days before starting on the actual infusion - figuring that different base-rum flavors will enhance the final effect of the infusion.

[RumBarPhilly]

I have still yet to try infusing anything other than white rums. This idea of blending first is interesting. I made a wonderful spiced rum today.

The base was Cruzan Lite, I infused anise, whole nutmeg, dried lemongrass, dried lemon zest, madagascar vanilla beans. I added a little sugar, and voila! Came out great, a little tough to drink neat, Im looking for a good mixer, I think a splash of pineapple might work.

[Tiare]

How did the dried lemongrass infuse? how much flavor did you get from that?

[RumBarPhilly]

How did the dried lemongrass infuse? how much flavor did you get from that?

The rum came out good, however the anise ended up overpowering, I should have added less. The dried lemongrass gave it a great lemony subtlety. The nutmeg was absent, and the vanilla was too subtle. perhaps next time, much less anise and much more nutmeg.

Overall, the rum is very tasty, a bit harsh in the finish, as it was a very quick infusion (spices mulled for 3 hours). Perhaps I need a smoother white rum for this... Oronoco comes to mind.

[Tiare]

Is it hard to get the flavors out of nutmeg? never tried it.

[RumBarPhilly]

Maybe ground nutmeg works better when mulling... but I must say, it was the first time I worked with whole nutmeg, and the smell of it freshly chopped was sinful! Im thinking of getting a grinder and doing it fresh over my drinks from now on, the place that sold me the nutmeg- it was their last 4 seeds though, must find more!

[Tiare]

Adam, try fresh ground nutmeg over your coconut or milk based drinks..

[The Scribe]

Try a rasp from your local hardware store. Nutmeg really needs to be ground freshly. I think most of the flavoring agents dissipate from the ground stuff in around a week or less. I know my mom always told me when cooking never to use the pre-ground stuff. Any respectable grocer should carry the whole nuts.
Cheers. - S

[Dood]

For the mulled cider rum I used whole nutmeg seeds with notches cut in them. It worked really well. Every person that has tried the rum has commented on the nutmeg flavor.

[RumBarPhilly]

For the mulled cider rum I used whole nutmeg seeds with notches cut in them. It worked really well. Every person that has tried the rum has commented on the nutmeg flavor.

A notch like a whole through it? What kind of tool did you use?

[RumBarPhilly]

Adam, try fresh ground nutmeg over your coconut or milk based drinks..

We currently use nutmeg on our Painkillers and our Rum Punch. When we were doing Egg Nog last month, it was in there too. But again, it wasnt fresh nutmeg.

[Tiare]

Dood, you mean you cut a notch in the nut don`t you, with a heavy and sharp knife, not a hole?

Adam...fresh ground spice...always..:p

[Dood]

Dood, you mean you cut a notch in the nut don`t you, with a heavy and sharp knife, not a hole?

Yes, that's what I did.

Now, of course, I'm trying to think of a way to put a hole clear through one of them. THAT would be cool.

*goes to buy a drill*

[Tiare]

Get something to hold the nut steady as well..:D

[RumBarPhilly]

Get something to hold the nut steady as well..:D

Im not even gonna touch that one...

[Tiare]

Ever tried Macadamia nuts in infusion?

[RumBarPhilly]

I tried making macademia milk... it failed along side my almond milk...

Im gonna give it a second go eventually.

[Tiare]

I failed with my first almond milk,i mean my first orgeat because it moulded but somewhere in the threads here Scottes have provided a link to a orgeat recipe that also has pictures that i used. And its a good one.

When it comes to Macadamia infusion..there must be a good recipe somewhere and when i find it i`ll post it unless someone else find it before me.

[Dood]

So the blackberry rum isn't going as well as I had hoped. After several weeks of letting the berries soak in the rum, I removed them. The nose is a bit acrid and sharp. I don't know if that's the berries or if the rum needs some more time to sit and mellow out a bit.

The taste was a tad sour and bitter...but I think I can clear that up with some sugar.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to split the batch up and try blending it into drinkability.

[angelsword]

It could be that you lowered the alcohol content sufficiently with the berries for the whole thing to rot. But it isn't an experiment if you aren't prepared for failure.

[Dood]

It could be that you lowered the alcohol content sufficiently with the berries for the whole thing to rot.

NOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo..................

I hope this isn't the case. I used a similar 3:1 ratio of regular proof (Oronoco in this case) to overproof (JW&N) that I used for my cider rum.

Crap....crap crap crap crap crap.

*gets another mason jar*

[Dood]

Well, I think the rum actually turned out OK.

After mulling things over (no pun intended), I decided to remove the fruit and let the jar sit for a few days. Following that, I moved the rum from the jar to an old Matusalem bottle that I keep around for storing infusions in a non-moonshine fashion, pouring the spirit through several layers of cheesecloth and a wire strainer. I let this sit for another 2 or 3 days and then poured a little in to a glass for my wife to try. She smelled it and remarked, "It smells like Oregon", referring to when she was a little girl and used to pick fresh blackberries in Oregon.

She had 3 cocktails with the infusion that night. I'd call that a success. ;)

It's not very sweet, but it does taste like blackberries. I've broken it out into smaller batches so that my wife can continue to enjoy some while I tinker with it some more.

[RumBarPhilly]

How long did it infuse for in total?

[Dood]

How long did it infuse for in total?

My notes are downstairs...and that's like, a long walk. :)

IIRC (and I'll verify with my notes tomorrow night), I did 2 sets of berries. Set 1 was non-scored (at first) and sat for 5 days before I pulled them out and then replaced them with berries that had been sliced up and then placed in a "teabag" made of cheesecloth. This infused for 6 days.

During the infusion, at times that I cannot recall, I added a total of 3 tablespoons of demerara sugar (a tablespoon at a time).

So, following the 11 days (might have been 12) of infusing, the rum then spent time separated from its teabag, then filtered and let sit again.

I tried it and while there is blackberry, I taste the rum more than the berries (not necessarily a bad thing). Not being the biggest fan of blackberries, it's hard for me to judge my success by any measure other than my wife's reaction.